The Annual Report for the year 1964 was published on April 22, 1965 by C. G. Zammit, Director of the National Museum,
Auberge de Provence, Valletta, Malta.  Amongst a host of reports on discoveries appeared the following:

.....quote - Dingli. Beginning in November the activities of a group of speleologists under Mr. P. Calleja-Gera of St Julians led to a series of discoveries which shed new light on the Maltese Bronze Age.   their area of operation was the seaward face of the Dingli heights (M.R. 4525 6730) where a vast labyrinth, made by the rough clearances left between the upper coralline limestone blocks of which the scree is composed and aptly named GHAR MIRDUM (M. for Sunken Cave), still preserved considerable material evidence of human occupation in the Borg in-Nadur Phase (c. 1450-800B.C.)

It is assumed on the basis of present information that there was originally a cave dwelling or dwellings which had succumbed gradually or suddenly to the natural forces of erosion. in this area, these could very likely have been the washing out of the underlying clay stratum by an excessive amount of spring water during or following a period of heavy rainfall.

Pottery as usual made up the bulk of the archeological material and at once suggested new shapes to add to those already known from other sites dated to the same phase.  the presence of other material and objects besides pottery should however make for a definite advance in our knowledge of the Borg in-Nadur culture.  For example there is a finely carved dagger handle made from a metacarpal of a cow, the imprint of circular stray matting on the base of a large pottery vessel, an unbaked miniature vessel, and four bronze objects, a dagger 7 inches long, two large rivets and a fragment of a pin.

The slow and difficult work of locating and recovering the archeological evidence at Ghar Mirdum was still in progress at the end of the year under review.  A full report on the finds is in preparation....unquote.

Copyright © P Calleja-Gera:  All rights reserved.

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