Spunti di riflessione sulla fase tardo-repubblicana del santuario di Tas-Silġ a Malta

In the late 2nd-early 1st century BC the sanctuary of Tas-Silġ in Malta, dedicated to Astarte/Hera/Iuno, underwent significant refurbishments, mainly regarding the structures surrounding the megalithic temple. The renovation works were meant to reorganise the spaces, encasing them in a system of courtyards and porticoes, fashioned after Hellenistic architectural models. The builders came from Sicily, as did those working at the renowned domus in Rabat, which shares with the sanctuary the same architectural language. In the new layout the temple is hidden from the outside, yet its prehistoric structure remains essentially unaltered, in an extraordinary conservation intervention.