Rare 6th-century BCE wash basin discovered in Marsaxlokk

An archaeological investigation in the Ballut area of Marsaxlokk, conducted by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, has yielded 64 individual artefacts, including a sizeable fragment of a louterion - a vessel used for holding water for bathing or washing, usually mounted on a pedestal, and used in both domestic and sacred or ritual settings.

Louteria are typical of the Greek Late Archaic period of the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, although non-Greek indigenous cultures in the Central Mediterranean had also adapted louteria to their needs.

These findings emerge from a preliminary report on archaeological investigations prompted by a proposal by the Environment and Resources Authority to build a 130m-long boulder revetment along the Ballut ta’ Marsaxlokk seashore, to protect the habitat from sea erosion.

The coastal wetland’s shoreline is being impacted by sea erosion, and the revetment aims to reclaim the land area lost over the past decades due to these coastal changes.

While the archaeological report is only preliminary and the artefacts still being analysed, at least 64 individual items have been inventoried to date. Ceramics make up the greatest percentage of finds, but faunal and marine bone, metal, and stone objects were also recovered.

Of particular note is a fragment of a louterion that was recovered from a trench, at a depth of roughly 45cm below the seabed. The basin fragment, originally part of an object 70cm in diameter, features elaborate decorations, and the image of horse-drawn chariots can be discerned around its rim. Similar examples from Sicily date to the 6th and 5th centuries BCE.

Louteria with horse chariot depictions are rare but have been found in Greek and Etruscan contexts, including sites like Corinth, Athens and Greek colonies in Sicily and southern Italy. These basins often feature elaborate scenes of chariots, symbolizing victory or divine favor, and reflect their use in ritual settings.

These artefacts are considered to have played a crucial role in various religious, domestic, and ceremonial contexts, making them valuable for understanding ancient societies.

Louteria were commonly used in purification rituals, both in domestic settings and temples. Water from a louterion was often used for cleansing before prayers, sacrifices, or other religious ceremonies. In households, louteria were used for washing, bathing, or other everyday purposes. Discoveries of louteria in residential areas can shed light on the daily routines and hygiene practices of ancient peoples. Often depicted in ancient art, including pottery and sculpture, they linked to mythological stories.

The archaeological investigations also uncovered several objects embedded in the seabed, including an almost complete bowl, which is currently being analysed. The concentration of a significant amount of material in a small area indicates that the site is extremely archaeologically sensitive and must be protected and investigated further, according to the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage (SCH).

Although some material may have been brought to the site through wave action, the depth at which the artefacts were found suggests that they were thrown into the water at the location where they were discovered.

Two trenches were also excavated to an average depth of 50cm and 125cm below the seabed, respectively. The excavations suggest that one of the trenches was constructed using carefully stacked limestone rubble. The structure predates the artefacts found below it, but it is currently difficult to accurately date the structure itself, and further work is required.

In its submission on the ERA project, the Superintendence acknowledged that the proposed coastal works to combat erosion and protect the surrounding ecology are necessary. However, it also noted that the proposed works will alter the coast and significantly impact the underwater archaeological features.

In view of this, the SCH has recommended several mitigatory measures, including the use of geotextile material to cover archaeologically sensitive areas. While granting its approval for the project, the SCH recommended archaeological monitoring throughout the works.

The Superintendence will continue to investigate the area, primarily underwater, in the coming months to address various research questions arising from this initial investigation. This phase of the archaeological investigation is not expected to impact the proposed works, as it will be completed before the project begins in the affected area.

Prior to the archaeological investigation, it was already known that the footprint of the proposed revetment overlapped with the location of recorded ancient archaeological structures on the seabed, extending towards the shore, and also overlapped or abutted large ashlar masonry blocks arranged in a regular pattern on land.

The Magħluq area is characterised by its shallow waters and has historically been associated with salt production, as indicated on maps dating towards the end of the 19th century. In the 1911 Ordnance Survey Sheets, il-Magħluq is also labelled as a location for fishponds.