Archaeologists working in the northern portion of Malta’s countryside have made a remarkable discovery – uncovering a post-Roman burial ground at the Tal-Bidnija site, just above Burmarrad. Believed to include at least two inhumation burials, the newly unearthed graves suggest that this area remained active well beyond Roman times, into the Late Medieval period.

These findings bring to life what historical texts have long hinted at: that Tal-Bidnija was a place of enduring human presence and activity. The site is now offering new insight into Malta’s long-term historical and rural development.

First noted by famed archaeologist Sir Temi Zammit in 1912, the Tal-Bidnija site remained mostly untouched until the Malta Survey Project (2008–2012) revealed signs of buried structures, consistent with a Roman villa rustica – essentially a countryside farming estate.

The site sits near an ancient olive grove estimated to be over 500 years old, which further links the location to Malta’s long agricultural tradition. One key feature uncovered is a rare Roman stone vat, once used to decant olive oil, making this one of Malta’s most significant sites connected to ancient olive cultivation.

The Tal-Bidnija excavation is part of the OLEA project – a collaboration between Heritage Malta, the University of Malta, and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, launched in 2020. The project aims to professionally manage, conserve, and study this promising rural site.

Now in its second year of active excavation, OLEA is also playing a key educational role. University of Malta archaeology students are gaining hands-on training through real-time research, helping bridge the gap between academic theory and fieldwork.

Among the most striking features revealed this season is an apsed building, where conservator-restorers have uncovered fragments of decorated plaster – meticulously lifting each piece for further analysis. These artifacts, combined with the burial finds, are allowing researchers to reconstruct elements of the area’s social, religious, and agricultural life.

While excavations at Tal-Bidnija will resume next year, the team will now shift focus to post-excavation analysis – studying and preserving the artefacts already retrieved. The information collected will help historians, archaeologists, and the public gain a deeper understanding of rural life in Malta from antiquity through the medieval era.

Have you ever visited an active archaeological dig in Malta?