Maltese Archaeology Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

- by David Barrowclough
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- European History, Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Anthropology
- by David Cardona
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- Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Classics, Late Roman Archaeology
- by David G Hahs
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- Malta (Archaeology), Medieval Archaeology, Medieval Malta, Maltese Archaeology
- by Alberto Cazzella and +1
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- Mediterranean prehistory, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Early Bronze Age, Maltese Archaeology

Gods, deities, symbolism, deposition, cosmology and intentionality are all features of the study of early ritual and cult. Archaeology has great difficulties in providing satisfactory interpretation or recognition of these elusive but important parts of ancient society, and methodologies are often poorly equipped to explore the evidence. This collection of papers explores a wide range of prehistoric and early historic archaeological contexts from Britain, Europe and beyond, where monuments, architectural structures, megaliths, art, caves, ritual activity and symbolic remains offer exciting glimpses into ancient belief systems and cult behaviour. Different theoretical and practical approaches are demonstrated, offering both new directions and considered conclusions to the many problems of studying the archaeology of cult and ritual. Central to the volume is an exploration of early Malta and its intriguing Temple Culture, set in a broad perspective by the discussion and theoretical approaches presented in different geographical and chronological contexts.

- by David Barrowclough
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- Religion, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Comparative Religion, History

Il lavoro di Davide Tanasi affronta un momento finora poco studiato delle relazioni tra Sicilia e Malta nella preistoria, quello dell'età del Bronzo Medio siciliano (metà XV – metà XIII secolo a.C.). Attraverso un riesame della documentazione, solo in parte edita, conservata nei musei di Siracusa e Malta, l'autore propone un nuovo catalogo di siti coinvolti nell’interrelazione, ridefinendo i modi e le forme del contatto e, sulla base dello studio comparato delle produzioni ceramiche di Thapsos e Borg in Nadur, evidenzia una trasmissione di know-how tra gli artigiani della ceramica siciliani e maltesi. Inoltre l’analisi comparata delle influenze micenee sulle due culture indigene ha apportato nuovi dati per l’interpretazione della natura dei rapporti che legavano la Sicilia, Malta e l’Egeo.

Riassunto -Nel presente lavoro vengono presentati i risultati delle analisi archeozoologiche condott e sul materiale faunistico proveniente dallo scavo della "vasca 52" del santuario fenicio-punico di Tas Silġa Malta. Tale strutt ura fu verosimilmente utilizzata per pratiche di abluzione e poi obliterata tra la seconda metà del II e il I secolo a.C. da uno scarico ricco di ceramica e resti faunistici. Lo scavo, condott o nel 1968 dalla compianta prof. A. Ciasca, ha permesso tra l'altro il recupero di un'ingente quantità di resti di animali che vengono qui presentati in modo esauriente. Si tratt a prevalentemente di resti di caprovini e di pesci pregiati come sparidi, serranidi e scaridi che dovevano essere preparati e consumati sul luogo. Tra i molluschi sono presenti sopratt utt o cuori, vongole veraci e seppie; completano il quadro dei prodott i di origine marina numerose spine di ricci di mare e alcune chele di granchio.

- by Davide Tanasi
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- Malta (Archaeology), Maltese Archaeology, Roman Archaeology
- by David Cardona and +1
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- Late Roman Archaeology, Maltese Archaeology, Catacombs, Roman Malta

As is well known, years ago C. Renfrew adopted the social model of chiefdom to explain the emergence of outstanding megalithic centres in the Maltese archipelago in the mid-4th millennium BC. This represented a pioneering attempt to apply to a Prehistoric Mediterranean context the model, advanced by Neoevolutionary American anthropologists, that exemplifies unequal societies with an established hierarchy based on birthrights. Since then, the concept of chiefdom has been widely debated among scholars. In order to test the actual applicability of the chiefdom model in a real case study, which appears more fruitful than an abstract speculation, the authors reconsider the specific prehistoric context of Malta between the 3500 and the 1500 BC. As for the Temple period, a central question is posed: are the megalithic centres the materialised traces of an early emergence of social inequality in the central Mediterranean? Moreover, the possible reasons behind the collapse of Temple period society are discussed, as well as the socio-ideological transformations occurred during the Early Bronze Age.

- by Alberto Cazzella and +1
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- Mediterranean prehistory, Archaeological Method & Theory, Social Archaeology, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology)

The study of the prehistoric pottery from the excavations by the Italian Archaeological Missions 1963–1970 at Tas-Silg and the recent resumption of the excavation seasons that focused on the prehistoric layers of this site lead us to point out some problems in the chronological sequences already proposed by other authors in regards to the Maltese archipelago from the Late Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age. The analyses of the newly unearthed materials are still in progress, nevertheless we think it could be useful to outline some points that need reviewing in light of both the new available data and the most recent perspectives in Mediterranean prehistory. In this paper, we propose a short reconsideration of the Late Prehistoric chronological sequence (and especially of the Bronze Age), keeping in mind the suggestions arising from Tas-Silg.

- by Giulia Recchia and +1
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- Prehistoric Archaeology, Mediterranean prehistory, Bronze Age (Archaeology), Maltese Archaeology

Italia tra Mediterraneo ed Europa: mobilità, interazioni e scambi -p. 3

Mass spectrometry-based approaches have been successfully applied for identifying ancient proteins in bones and other tissues. On the contrary, there are relatively few examples of the successful recovery and identification of archeological protein residues from ceramic artifacts; this is because ceramics contain much lower levels of proteins which are extensively degraded by diagenetic effects. In this paper, we report the results of the characterization of proteins extracted from pottery of the Maltese site of Baħrija, the guide-site for the Baħrija period (half of 9th-second half of eighth century BCE), recently identified as the final part of the Borġ in-Nadur culture. Proteomic data here reported confirm that one of the major issue of these kind of studies is represented by contamination of animal and human agents that may complicate endogenous protein identification and authentication. The samples tested included a small group of ceramic forms, namely three tableware and six coarse ware thought to have been used in food preparation and/or storage. In this context, the limited availability of paleobotanical and archeozoological analyses may be compensated by the outcomes of the first proteomics profiling which, even if obtained on a limited selection of vessels, revealed the centrality of wheat in the diet of the ancient community of Baħrija. The data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier < PXD022848 > .

- by Davide Tanasi
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- Mediterranean prehistory, Malta (Archaeology), Proteomics, Archaeometry
- by Elisa Grassi and +1
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- Archaeology, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Maltese Archaeology

The archaeological site within the Għajn Tuffieħa valley is a bathing complex dating to the first centuries CE. It is situated less than a kilometre away from the village of Mġarr, Malta, and about 1.2 kilometres inland from Għajn Tuffieħa Bay. ) The Għajn Tuffieħa Roman Baths are currently being re-investigated and conserved as part of the Rehabilitation of Roman Baths and Christian Catacombs (REBACA) project funded through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), measure 323 1 which also includes rehabilitation works of Christian catacombs on areas B and C of the Ta' Bistra Catacombs in Mosta.

- by David Cardona and +1
- •
- Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Malta (Archaeology)

"This paper presents an exhaustive catalogue of finds recovered
from the site of Borg in-Nadur and now stored in the National Museum of
Archaeology, Valletta. Seventeen objects are dated to the Bronze Age
whereas two date to the Late Neolithic (Temple period). Artefacts which
have not been traced are also considered. Part of the discussion looks for
comparative material from contemporary contexts, both local and foreign.
The functional aspect of the objects is dealt with briefly."

Keywords: Malta, Tas-Silġ, Late Neolithic, Megalitic structures

- by Alberto Cazzella and +1
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- Mediterranean prehistory, Megaliths (Archaeology), Maltese Archaeology, Late Neolithic

The relationship between the need to preserve archaeological sites and the needs of mass tourism has often proved problematic, as the various papers in this volume demonstrate. The aim of this chapter is to further refine the problem and to show how an integrated approach, which combines the requirements of both archaeology and the tourist industry, is being implemented in Malta for the purpose of promoting sustainable local development.

- by David Barrowclough
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- European History, Cultural History, Sociology, Cultural Studies

Archeologia (largo Gemelli, 1 -20123 -Milano) Abitazione: via Foppa 46 -20144 -Milano Un titolo così "ricco" allude a un particolare aspetto emerso nel corso delle ricerche che la Missione Archeologica Italiana conduce a Malta sul complesso archeologico ai piedi della cappella secentesca dedicata a San Pawl Milqi (cioè San Paolo "accolto, incontrato"). La chiesa e le strutture archeologiche dominano dalle pendici del Ġebel Għawzara il centro agricolo di Burmarrad e la piana che giunge sino alle insenature di Salina e St. Paul's Bay, sulla costa nord-orientale dell'isola di Malta (fig. 1).

The paper analyses the ritual practices recorded in the Tas- Silġ sanctuary, in the island of Malta, focusing on what features can be retraced for the historical phases prior to the Late republican age, between 8th and 2nd century BC. The first period (8th-5th century BC) refers to the Phoenician phase of the site: the new structures do not seem to interfere with the prehistoric temple, which is kept unaltered. The worshipped deity – known from the inscriptions – is Astarte: the complex personality of the goddess, featuring traits belonging to the local tradition, has marked chthonian characters, as testified by the existence of the recently explored hypogeum structures. The new elements added in the sacrificial area over the timespan between 4th and 2nd century BC reveal a new openness towards Mediterranean influences; the hypogeum is not used for rituals anymore, and the chthonian traits of the cult clearly lose strenghth, probably under the influence of the new cultural context.

As part of the ERC-funded FRAGSUS project currently
underway in Malta (a collaboration between Queen’s
University Belfast, Cambridge University, Malta University,
Heritage Malta and the Superintendence of Cultural
Heritage, Malta), an experiment to record later agricultural
features and a Neolithic house using photogrammetry has
been undertaken. The recording of earth-cut features and
unsubstantial structural remains is a long term problem in
archaeology. The application of new technologies offers great
scope for their precise recording, while also enabling the
results to be made accessible to a wider public.

- by Jeremy Bennett
- •
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Photogrammetry, Landscape Archaeology

Sir Temi Zammit’s archaeological field-notes have been a source of information for researchers for decades, offering an insight into the various excavations that were being carried out by, or under the supervision of Zammit himself. Apart from handwritten notes, most of these notebooks include numerous sketches of sites and artefacts. The archive of the National Museum of Archaeology contains 17 such notebooks penned by Zammit, with dates spanning from 1905 until 1930. Some are dedicated to specific excavations like Tarxien or Ta’ Haġrat, but the majority recount numerous inspections, discoveries and excavations of various archaeological sites and features. These notebooks do not always run in a chronological order and some even overlap. In February 2013, the Zammit Archaeological field notebooks’ collection increased by one, with the addition of a notebook which seems to have been missing from Malta since the early 1970s.

- by Sharon Sultana and +1
- •
- Maltese Archaeology

The megaliths of Malta are a remarkable feat of engineering predating their better-known counterparts of Stonehenge in the west and the Egyptian pyramids to the east. Although far from ignored they have yet to benefit from the detailed treatment afforded to sites such as those in the Boyne Valley, Ireland; Orkney, Scotland; or of course, Stonehenge. Lomsdalen’s study may be seen as an attempt to address this imbalance by re-aligning studies of Malta’s Neolithic. There have already been detailed surveys of both megalithic monuments, notably by John Evans; and a contextual landscape study by Reuben Grima, who applied contemporary landscape theory and GIS analysis to the monuments’ topography. What Lomsdalen contributes is different, his focus is on a single monument complex, Mnajdra, albeit discussed in the light of what is known about the other ‘temples’. The benefit of this approach is that of depth over breadth. It is only by devoting an entire study to a single monument that space can be devoted to the intricacies of each specific ‘room’ within the structure.

- by David Barrowclough
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- Religion, European History, European Studies, Archaeology
- by Nicholas Vella and +1
- •
- Prehistoric Archaeology, Italian Archaeology, Maltese Archaeology

In questo contributo desidero richiamare l’attenzione sulle strategie di intervento e sugli aspetti metodologici che hanno caratterizzato la seconda fase delle ricerche italiane a Malta, a partire dalla seconda metà degli anni ’90. Maria Pia Rossignani ha rivestito un ruolo fondamentale nel promuovere e orientare tali attività, dapprima in stretta collaborazione con Antonia Ciasca, e – a partire dal 2001 fino al 2013 –, come direttrice della Missione Archeologica Italiana.
Maria Pia Rossignani ha dedicato molta parte del suo impegno sul campo e delle sue riflessioni al problema della relazione, teorica e pratica, fra esigenze della ricerca e necessità della conservazione. Tale attività è documentata in rapporti interni al gruppo di ricerca e in relazioni consegnate alla Soprintendenza Maltese, ma anche in contributi non ancora pubblicati. Ho ritenuto opportuno darne conto in questo testo, non solo come doveroso riconoscimento a un aspetto del suo operato che merita di non restare inedito, ma anche come contributo alla riflessione su un tema di particolare importanza per l’archeologia moderna, ora molto più attenta che nel passato ai problemi della gestione dei dati e della conservazione delle testimonianze restituite dalla ricerca stratigrafica.

Excavations 2003-2011 at Tas-Silġ North have brought to light a long-term stratigraphic sequence spanning from the Late Neolithic (Tarxien phase, 3000 BC) to the 8th century BC, the time when contacts with the Phoenician sailors first started. Shortly after that the sanctuary was turned into a worship place dedicated to the goddess Astarte and then, in the Roman-Hellenistic period, it became a huge sanctuary dedicated to Hera-Juno. The site was continuously occupied until the Byzantine period.
The paper presents the major pieces of evidence at the site from the Late Neolithic to the 8th century BC. Moreover, the wider cultural context of the Maltese archipelago and its relationships with the Mediterranean regions through time are taken into consideration, particularly focussing on the socio-economic transformations of the Maltese communities.

- by Alberto Cazzella and +2
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- Mediterranean prehistory, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Mediterranean archaeology, Early Iron Age

During the study of a pottery assemblage collected at the Sicilian site of Licata-Caduta (Agrigento),
continuously occupied between the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, some ceramics presented typologies,
fabrics and surface treatments alien to Sicilian repertoires and closer to Maltese productions. Sampled
for petrographic (OM) and chemical (XRF) analyses one artefact turned out to be produced in Malta
and imported into Sicily. The search for its chronological and cultural placement has led to the discovery
of the first certified Żebbuġ phase import in Sicily.

The amount of prehistoric metal items discovered in the Maltese archipelago during the BronzeAge very limited in number. The majority of the artifacts are traditionally considered Aegean imports from nearby Sicily. Nineteen objects, currently on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Valletta, and dated between the 17th and 12th century BCE, represent the main evidence of metalwork in Malta during the Bronze Age. Daggers, axes, vessels, rings, pins and an ingot were found in Early and Middle/Late Bronze Age sites and were traditionally interpreted as made from bronze solely on the account of a direct visual exam. The aim of this contribution is to present the results of research carried out on those artifacts applying non-destructive portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) in order to ascertain their chemical composition, to compare the data with those available for Sicily and the Aegean and discuss the archaeological implications of such outcomes.

- by Davide Tanasi and +1
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- Metallurgy, Malta (Archaeology), Mediterranean Studies (Area Studies), Bronze Age (Archaeology)

Key words: Tas-Silg, Malta, Neolithic temples, megalithic sanctuaries

- by Giulia Recchia and +1
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- Prehistoric Archaeology, Mediterranean prehistory, Neolithic Archaeology, Theoretical Archaeology
- by Nicholas Vella and +1
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- Italian Archaeology, Italian fascism, Maltese & Central Mediterranean Prehistory, Maltese Archaeology

This volume is dedicated to Anthony J. Frendo, professor of Near Eastern Archaeology and Hebrew Bible at the University of Malta. Frendo has dedicated the largest part of his academic career to exploring the relationship between text and artefact. Appropriately, therefore, many of the collected essays operate at this interface between disciplines while focusing on a diverse array of material, such as Hebrew, Aramaic, and Punic epigraphy, Phoenician/Punic textual and material culture, ancient Near Eastern archaeology, biblical texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as elements from Maltese archaeology, including a cuneiform inscription found at a local sanctuary at Tas-Silg.

- by Dennis Mizzi and +2
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- Hebrew Literature, Mediterranean prehistory, Epigraphy (Archaeology), Hebrew Bible

This innovative study draws on both archival evidence and archeological research to compare Malta's experience under the regimes of the Knights of St. John from 1530 to 1798 and afterward as a maritime outpost of the British Empire in... more

The vegetation history of the Maltese Islands is still poorly resolved. Most evidence has been from coastal sequences which are poorly resolved chronologically. In this study, pollen and palynofacies were analysed from the Temple-Period (Neolithic) to Roman site at Tas-Silg, Malta, giving a highly resolved vegetation and environmental history over ~4000 years. A strong taphonomic imprint is evident, but early Tarxien pine-juniper-pistachio woodland and scrub was replaced by biodiverse steppe and then in the Bronze Age by drier, more degraded steppe. Pine and juniper rise again in Hellenistic-Roman levels, which are also characterised by pollen of the waterlily Nuphar, perhaps indicative of a temple pool.

- by Chris Hunt
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- Palynology, Neolithic Archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Bronze Age

- by Jess Thompson and +3
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- Prehistoric Archaeology, Neolithic Archaeology, Palaeopathology, Maltese & Central Mediterranean Prehistory

A set of 41 samples from Tas-Silg, Malta, has been analysed by neutron activation. It contained nine ware groups formed by visual examination covering the Late Neolithic, Bronze Age and Punic Periods (c. 3000-218 bc). Despite this diversity and long time range, seven of these ware groups, including the ‘Thermi Ware’, all have a similar chemical composition and, therefore, have been made from the same clay. This points most probably to a local origin. One group from the Punic Period, containing only Bricky Red cooking ware, is chemically separate and represents a second distinct pattern probably assignable to a local production. Five amphora sherds also from the Punic Period, and consisting of a micaceous fabric, all have different chemical characteristics and are probably imports from overseas production sites of unknown location.

A set of 41 samples from Tas-Silg, Malta, has been analysed by neutron activation. It contained nine ware groups formed by visual examination covering the Late Neolithic, Bronze Age and Punic Periods (c. 3000–218 BC). Despite this diversity and long time range, seven of these ware groups, including the ‘Thermi Ware’, all have a similar chemical composition and, therefore, have been made from the same clay. This points most probably to a local origin. One group from the Punic Period, containing only Bricky Red cooking ware, is chemically separate and represents a second distinct pattern probably assignable to a local production. Five amphora sherds also from the Punic Period, and consisting of a micaceous fabric, all have different chemical characteristics and are probably imports from overseas production sites of unknown location.

- by Hans Mommsen and +5
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- Maltese Archaeology

TMA 10 dec. 1992, 5de jaargang nr.2 prijs los nummer fl. 12,95 1 bfr. 240. TMA is een onafhankelijk tijdschrift dat aandacht besteedt aan het" actuele archeo logische onderzoek in de Mediterrane wereld, in het bijzonder verricht vanuit Nederland en België. Het overnemen van artikelen is toegestaan mits met bronver melding. Bijdragen van lezers zijn welkom en kunnen al dan niet verkort door de redactie worden gepubliceerd. Deze uitga ve kwam tot stand met steun van de Stich ting ter Ondersteuning van Oudheidkun dig Onderzoek. abonnementen TMA verschijnt twee keer per jaar. Op gave kan schriftelijk of door storting van fl. 27,-op girorekening 5859344, of bfr. 485 op bankrekening 172.1305816.76 Rabo bank België. Studenten betalen fl. 24,50 of bfr. 445 (onder vermelding van studienummer). De abonnementen lopen van 1 januari tot 31 december en worden automatisch ver lengd, tenzij een maand van tevoren is op gezegd. redactie en administratieadres Tijdschrift voor Mediterrane Archeologie Postbus 7030, 9701 JA Groningen 05 0-635183 (dinsdagoch tend) 1050-63604 7 redactie

- by Vittorio Rizzone
- •
- Ancient History, Archaeology, Jewish Studies, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies

Objectives: Palaeopathological analysis is key for characterising population health at the individual level and across large assemblages but is rarely exploited to unite the remains of disarticulated individuals. This study explores the potential for individual identification through differential diagnosis of periosteal lesions in a commingled deposit, both to ascertain the number of individuals represented and provide a differential diagnosis. Materials and Methods: The late Neolithic Xagħra Circle hypogeum on Gozo contains the remains of more than 800 individuals, most of which were transformed to a collective disarticulated assemblage. Across the excavated population, pathological observations are strikingly low. In one specific 1 Â 1-m area in a single stratigraphic context, fragmented and disarticulated cranial and post-cranial non-adult bones were identified that displayed periosteal new bone formation. To aid differential diagnosis, macroscopic analysis, taphonomic analysis and micro-computed tomography (μCT) imaging were integrated. Results: This approach, when combined with osteobiographical analyses, reveals that the elements most likely derive from one individual, a young child, who presents a probable case of scurvy. The potential for micronutrient co-morbidities are explored, but without further microscopic study it cannot be determined if this individual also experienced iron-deficiency anaemia and/or rickets. Discussion: In the context of the Mediterranean and Europe in later prehistory, reported cases of scurvy are currently low and often reveal periods of environmental instability and resource insufficiency. Our finding of non-adult scurvy in late 3rd millennium BC Malta contributes to a developing picture of an increasingly unstable palaeoenvironment and declining population health at this time, although it may also indicate an individual case of poor childhood health within this broader context.

- by Jess Thompson
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- History, Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Geology