St Paul's Catacombs

🇲🇹 Xi oqbra fil-Katakombi ta’ San Pawl jirriflettu l-identità personali u l-professjoni tal-individwi midfuna hemmhekk. Fost dawn hemm oqbra marbuta ma’ bennejja u kirurgi, kif jidher fir-ritratt. Dawn l-identifikazzjonijiet jissuġġerixxu li l-komunità kienet tagħti valur lill-individwi mhux biss bħala membri tas-soċjetà, iżda wkoll għar-rwoli u l-ħiliet li kienu joffru. L-eżempju tal-għodod kirurġiċi huwa partikolarment sinifikanti, għaliex jenfasizza l-preżenza u l-importanza tal-prattikanti mediċi fid-dinja Rumana. Kittieba mediċi antiki bħal Celsus, f’De Medicina, u Galen iddeskrivew l-għarfien u t-tekniki kirurġiċi, u dan juri li l-kirurġija kienet professjoni rikonoxxuta u speċjalizzata fl-antikità.

🇬🇧 Some burials at St Paul’s Catacombs reflect the personal identity and profession of the individuals buried there. Among these are burials associated with stonemasons and surgeons, as shown in the photo. These identifications suggest that the community valued individuals not only as members of society, but also for the roles and skills they contributed. The example of surgeon tools is especially significant, as it highlights the presence and importance of medical practitioners in the Roman world. Ancient medical writers such as Celsus, in De Medicina, and Galen described surgical knowledge and techniques, showing that surgery was a recognised and specialised profession in antiquity.

It-Tnejn 18 ta’ Mejju fl-10:00am, fl-okkażjoni tal-Jum Dinji tal-Mużewijiet, il-Katakombi ta’ San Pawl fir-Rabat se jilqgħu persuni b’diżabilità viżiva għal ‘Miss l-Istorja!’ – esperjenza mfassla apposta għalihom.

Matul is-sessjoni, il-parteċipanti se jesploraw artefatti magħżula u repliki ta’ kwalità għolja permezz tal-mess, megħjuna bi spjegazzjonijiet interessanti li jagħtu l-ħajja lil kull oġġett. L-attività tesplora wkoll it-temi ta’ skambju kulturali u kummerċjali, billi tqabbel prattiki f’Ruma tal-qedem ma’ valuri li jkomplu jsawru l-Ewropa tal-lum. Tħares ukoll lejn kif it-tifsira, it-twemmin, u l-konnessjoni jivvjaġġaw maż-żmien.

Il-Katakombi servew bħala ċimiterju fiż-żminijiet Puniċi, Rumani u Biżantini, u huma l-akbar sit ta’ dfin tal-perjodu klassiku f’Malta. Bil-kisba riċenti taċ-Ċertifikat tal-Patrimonju Ewropew, il-katakombi ġew rikonoxxuti formalment bħala sit li kien kruċjali fit-tiswir tal-istorja, il-kultura u l-iżvilupp tal-Ewropa.

Il-biljetti għal din l-attività jistgħu jinxtraw online minn
https://heritagemalta.mt/store/e2001/ jew minn kwalunkwe mużew jew sit ta’ Heritage Malta.

🇲🇹 Għar-Rumani, Mejju kien xahar mimli kuntrasti: bejn il-ħajja u l-mewt, il-fertilità u s-superstizzjoni. Filwaqt li r-rebbiegħa kienet tilħaq il-qofol tagħha u l-art kienet tagħti l-frott tagħha, ħafna Rumani kienu jqisu dan ix-xahar bħala wieħed perikoluż u mimli jiem ta’ sfortuna (dies nefasti). F’dan iż-żmien kienu jsiru ċelebrazzjonijiet bħall-Floralia, festa ddedikata lil Flora, l-alla tal-fjuri u tat-tiġdid, iżda wkoll il-Lemuria, ritwali antik intiż biex jikkalma l-ispirti bla kwiet tal-mejtin li kienu maħsuba li jduru fost il-ħajjin billejl.

🇬🇧 For the Romans, May was a month of striking contrasts: between life and death, fertility and superstition. As spring reached its height and the earth produced its abundance, many Romans nevertheless regarded this month as dangerous and marked by unlucky days (dies nefasti). It was a time of celebrations such as the Floralia, a festival dedicated to Flora, goddess of flowers and renewal, but also of the Lemuria, an ancient ritual intended to appease the restless spirits of the dead believed to wander among the living at night.

Ritratt/image - Flora (ArchaiOptix - Own work/Wikimedia Commons)

🇲🇹 Hekk kif se nidħlu fix-xahar ta’ Mejju, ir-Rumani kienu jqisuh bħala xahar ta’ skumdità u xorti ħażina. Minkejja li kien żmien ta’ abbundanza u fertilità, kien ikkaratterizzat minn ħafna jiem ta’ sfortuna (nefasti). Kien jibda bil-Floralia lejn l-aħħar ta’ April, festa vivaċi u libertina f’ġieħ Flora, l-alla tal-fjuri, tal-fertilità, u tat-tiġdid tar-rebbiegħa. Madankollu, sa nofs ix-xahar, il-burdata kienet tiskura: matul il-Lemuria, il-familji kienu jwettqu riti biex irażżnu lil-lemures, l-ispirti bla kwiet tal-mejtin.

🇬🇧 As we enter the month of May, the Romans regarded it as a time of unease and ill fortune. Although associated with abundance and fertility, May was also marked by many unlucky days (nefasti). It opened with the Floralia at the end of April, a lively and libertine festival in honour of Flora, the goddess of flowers, fertility, and the renewal of spring. By the middle of the month, however, the mood darkened: during the Lemuria, families performed rites to appease the lemures, the restless spirits of the dead.

Ritratt/image - Memento Mori (Jebulon/Wikimedia Commons, CC0)

🇲🇹 Ninsabu kburin li nħabbru li l-Katakombi ta’ San Pawl ingħataw iċ-Ċertifikat tal-Patrimonju Ewropew 🏛️🇪🇺, rikonoxximent importanti tal-valur storiku u kulturali tagħhom fil-kuntest Ewropew. Nistennew bil-ħerqa li niċċelebraw din il-kisba importanti 🎉 flimkien fil-ġimgħat li ġejjin!

🇬🇧 We are proud to announce that St Paul’s Catacombs have been awarded the European Heritage Label 🏛️🇪🇺, a significant recognition of their historical and cultural value within Europe. We look forward to celebrating this milestone 🎉 together in the coming weeks!

🇲🇹 Malta ilha għal żmien twil taqdi bħala punt ta’ waqfa bejn in-Nofsinhar tal-Ewropa u l-Afrika, u matul is-sekli laqgħet nies minn sfondi differenti. Il-katakombi kienu jirriflettu din ir-realtà, billi juru li Pagani, Insara u Lhud kienu jindifnu ħdejn xulxin. Dan it-taħlit kulturali u reliġjuż jidher ukoll fis-simboli mnaqqxa fil-ħitan, fosthom slaleb, menorahs, u kitbiet bil-Latin, li jirriflettu t-tradizzjonijiet differenti ta’ Malta tal-qedem u l-perjodu medjevali bikri.

🇬🇧 Malta has long served as a stopping point between southern Europe and Africa, welcoming people from different backgrounds over the centuries. The catacombs reflected this reality, showing that Pagans, Christians, and Jews were buried alongside one another. This cultural and religious mix is also visible in the symbols carved into the walls, including crosses, menorahs, and Latin inscriptions, which reflect the varied traditions of ancient and early medieval Malta.

🇲🇹 Skoperta żgħira iżda affaxxinanti fil-Katakombi ta’ San Pawl 🌿
Grupp ta’ faqqiegħ feġġ fuq is-sit, u jikber fl-ambjent frisk u fid-dell. Dawn il-viżitaturi naturali jfakkruna li dawn is-siti mhumiex biss spazji ta’ storja, iżda wkoll pajsaġġi ħajjin fejn in-natura u l-passat jeżistu flimkien.


🇬🇧 A small but fascinating discovery at St Paul’s Catacombs 🌿
Clusters of mushrooms have emerged along the site, thriving in the cool, shaded environment. These natural visitors are a reminder that sites are not only spaces of history, but also living landscapes where nature and the past coexist.

🇲🇹 Kont taf li t-terminu ‘katakombi’ ġej mill-Latin t**d catacumbas? L-oriġini eżatta tiegħu mhix ċara, iżda jista’ jkun li ġej minn isem proprju jew mill-frażi Griega kata kymbas, li tfisser “taħt il-barrieri.” Il-katakombi Rumani kollha kienu jinsabu barra mill-ħitan tal-belt, peress li kien illegali li jsir id-dfin ġewwa l-belt. Fil-każ tal-belt Rumana ta’ Melite, li kienet tinkludi parti sostanzjali tar-Rabat tal-lum, il-katakombi għalhekk kienu jinsabu barra mill-belt.

🇬🇧 Did you know that the term ‘catacombs’ derives from the Late Latin catacumbas? Its exact origin is unclear, but it may come from a proper name or from the Greek phrase kata kymbas, meaning “below the quarries.” All Roman catacombs were located outside city walls, as it was illegal to bury the dead within the city. In the case of the Roman town of Melite, which extended over a large part of present-day Rabat, the catacombs were therefore situated outside of the town.

🇲🇹 Fl-Enejde ta’ Virġilju, is-Sibilla tgħid lill-eroj Enea li huwa faċli tinżel fid-dinja ta’ taħt (Facilis descensus Averno). Madankollu, kif tkompli s-Sibilla, li terġa’ titla’ lura hija l-vera sfida (hoc opus, hic labor est). Żur il-Katakombi ta’ San Pawl biex issir taf iżjed dwar kif ir-Rumani kienu jħarsu lejn il-vjaġġ ta’ wara l-mewt.

🇬🇧 In Virgil’s Aeneid, the Sibyl tells the hero Aeneas that it is easy to descend to the underworld (Facilis descensus Averno). Yet, as she goes on to explain, returning to the world above is the real challenge (hoc opus, hic labor est). Visit St. Paul’s Catacombs to discover more about how the Romans understood the journey to the afterlife.