Domvs Romana

Domvs Romana

Ruins of the Domus Romana
Location	Mdina/Rabat, Malta
Coordinates	35°53′7.1″N 14°24′0.3″E / 35.885306°N 14.400083°E / 35.885306; 14.400083
Type	Domus Cemetery
Part of	Melite
History
Material	Limestone and marble
Founded	1st century BC
Abandoned	2nd century AD 11th century AD
Periods	Roman Arab
Site notes
Excavation dates	1881, 1920–1925
Archaeologists	Antonio Annetto Caruana Themistocles Zammit
Condition	Ruins
Ownership	Government of Malta
Management	Heritage Malta
Public access	Yes
Website	Heritage Malta

The Domus Romana (Latin for "Roman House"), stylized as the Domvs Romana (after Latin's lack of distinction between u and v), is a ruined Roman-era house located on the boundary between Mdina and Rabat, Malta. It was built in the 1st century BC as an aristocratic town house (domus) within the Roman city of Melite. In the 11th century, a Muslim cemetery was established on the remains of the domus.

The site was discovered in 1892, and archaeological excavations revealed several well-preserved Roman mosaics, statues and other artifacts, as well as a number of tombstones and other remains from the cemetery. Since 1882, the site has been open to the public as a museum, which is currently run by Heritage Malta. It was erroneously called the Roman Villa when rediscovered as it was thought to be outside the city of Melite but on further examinations, it was clarified to be within city limits.^[1]