Ras il-Wardija

Ras il-Wardija is a promontory in the limits of San Lawrenz, on the southwest coast of Gozo [1]. It contains the remains of a Punic-Roman sanctuary, which was excavated by Italian archaeologists in the 1960s [1]. Ras il-Wardija was probably first inhabited in the Bronze Age, in around 1500 BC [1]. Around the 3rd century BC, during the Punic period, a religious complex (probably a nymphaeum) was established in the area [1]. The site remained in use throughout the Roman period [1]. Carved crosses on the walls suggest that the site eventually became a Christian place of worship [1]. The site remained in use until around the 4th century AD [1]. The site was first excavated by the Missione Archaeologica Italiana a Malta between 1964 and 1967 [1].