Ta' Kaċċatura

Ta' Kaċċatura is an archaeological complex in the outskirts of Birżebbuġa, in southern Malta. The complex includes a rustic Roman villa and a number of underground cisterns. The rustic villa confirms the presence of a thriving olive oil industry in this part of the Maltese islands. The remains rest on a long, flat ridge flanked by two valleys, Wied Dalam to the north-east and Wied Żembaq to the south-west. At the end of the same ridge, the two valleys meet the sea at St. George's Bay, with the prehistoric site of Borġ in-Nadur situated on a hill. Just across Wied Dalam from the Ta' Kaċċatura site, lies Għar Dalam and its museum. In April 1881, a Permanent Archaeological Commission called for excavations at Ta' Kaċċatura and Mnajdra. The Commission advised the Maltese Government to purchase the site from its tenant. The land was purchased by the Maltese Government "for archaeological purposes," as listed in a contract dated December 12, 1881. Ta' Kaċċatura is one of the earliest archaeological sites in Malta which was purchased by the authorities to ensure its preservation. While Ta' Kaċċatura was purchased in 1881, excavation work in the following two years focused on Borġ in-Nadur, with the villa benefitting only from the construction of a protective wall around the villa's largest cistern. The wall was finished by November 18, 1882. The site was mostly untouched in the late 19th century, with investigations only resuming under the direction of Thomas Ashby and Temi Żammit in 1915. Ashby's descriptions remain the principal sources of information on the rustic villa. It is smaller than most other villas, such as San Pawl Milqi and Żejtun. This Roman villa is one of the least known Roman sites on the island. It appears to have been built in the early Roman period, however the remains of other buildings use the opus africanum technique, which is related to Phoenician and Punic structures found in Carthage and at Motya. It is seen to be an important site because of its location close to shore, and its close proximity to other sites of different periods.