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Malta’s strategic position, its closeness to the major civilisations of the central Mediterranean, its involvement, often unwillingly, in the great conflicts of the area, has given it a depth of history and cultural heritage disproportionate to its size. SiUnseen cultural heritage
Malta’s strategic position, its closeness to the major civilisations of the central Mediterranean, its involvement, often unwillingly, in the great conflicts of the area, has given it a depth of history and cultural heritage disproportionate to its size. Since prehistoric times, Malta and Gozo have been the destination or staging post of an ever-growing maritime trade operated from one end of the Mediterranean Sea to the other. At various times in the island’s maritime history, the sea around it has become the resting place of great trading vessels tragically shipwrecked or ships and aircraft caught in the crossfire of aerial or sea battles around its shores. These are now a part of Malta’s underwater archaeology, enriching the surrounding waters with a wealth of relics. The sea around Malta is dotted with hundreds of aircraft wrecks that plunged into the sea during World War II as well as ships and craft from across the centuries. A Roman shipwreck carrying a cargo of mortars had been found at Mellieħa Bay in the 1960s. One 2,700-year-old Phoenician wreck was discovered off Gozo and is thought to be the oldest in the central Mediterranean. Explorations have also yielded... Read more