Tas-Silġ

Tas-Silġ is a rounded hilltop on the southeast coast of the island of Malta overlooking Marsaxlokk Bay and close to the town of Żejtun [1]. Tas-Silġ is a major multi-period sanctuary site with archaeological remains covering 4000 years, from the Neolithic to the ninth century [1]. The site includes a Megalithic temple complex dating from the early third millennium BCE and a Phoenician and Punic sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Astarte [1]. During the Roman era, the site became an international religious complex dedicated to the goddess Juno, helped by its location along major maritime trading routes, with the site being mentioned by Cicero [1]. The area was first inhabited when a temple was built in the Tarxien phase of Maltese prehistory, sometime around 3000 to 2500 BC [1]. An Italian Mission led the first excavations between 1963 and 1972 and identified the sanctuary [1].