Roman catacombs were discovered in Malta

Roman catacombs were discovered under a school in Malta in 2016, including a small tooth of a buried toddler from over 2000 years ago.

The discovery came about due to construction work taking place at St Paul’s Missionary College in Rabat, Malta. During the excavations, apart from the remains of eight people, decorative ceramics were also excavated, which were buried with the deceased.

According to scientists, it is difficult to judge the exact period from which the catacombs originated. However, based on the location and found objects, it can be assumed that the finds come from the time when the island was transforming from a Carthaginian colony to a Roman one, i.e. the end of the 3rd century BCE. At that time, there was a significant number of the Jewish population in Malta, mainly merchants and colonists.