In February 1881, workers planting trees along the esplanade outside Mdina's walls struck mosaic at barely a metre below the surface. What they had found was a wealthy Roman aristocrat's townhouse — built in the 1st century BC within the ancient city of Melite — its polychrome mosaic floors largely intact after two thousand years. Malta's first purpose-built museum was erected over it the very next year, and it has been open to visitors ever since.
The mosaic floors
The peristyle courtyard's Hellenistic-style mosaic is the centrepiece — polychrome, intricately detailed, and largely intact. The celebrated 'Drinking Doves' panel, based on a famous ancient painting, is among the highlights. Comparable in quality to the mosaics of Pompeii.
An emperor's connections
A full-size statue of Emperor Claudius and a bust of his daughter Claudia Antonia were found here — evidence the house's owners were well-connected to the very top of Roman power. The display of statues and coins in the museum helps bring the family to life.
Layers upon layers
Above the Roman mosaics, archaeologists found over 245 Muslim graves from the 11th century, when Malta was part of the Fatimid Caliphate. One site, two entirely separate civilisations — a quiet reminder of how layered this island's history is.