Site, artefacts and landscape: Prehistoric Borg in-Nadur, Malta

Twelve fragments of pottery, clearly not prehistoric in date, have been found in the stores of the National Museum of Archaeology amidst prehistoric pottery recovered from Borġ in-Nadur. This short piece presents a detailed catalogue of these sherds, and considers other material published by Murray and Trump from their excavations at the same site. The significance of this pottery at a prehistoric site is also considered.peer-reviewe

From vine to vat and beyond : the case of Ancient Malta

It has been widely accepted that small islands were suitably placed to adapt to niche markets in their efforts to produce and export desired goods. The Maltese islands were probably no exception to this if we go by what the late Antonia Ciasca suggested in a 1985 article, where she proposed that a small number of locally produced pottery containers carrying foodstuffs were distributed to Maltese individuals residing away from the islands. Since then, new discoveries both in Malta and abroad have brought to light new archaeological evidence to substantiate further this distribution, as well as support a production and export of Maltese wine during the Late Punic/Early Roman period. This paper brings together new and old data to highlight what we can surmise so far, as well as our intention to embark on a programme of scientific analyses to corroborate and expand this suggested hypothesis.peer-reviewe

Site, artefacts and landscape : Prehistoric Borg in-Nadur, Malta

This paper reviews the evidence for maritime connections between Malta and Sicily in the second millennium BC and considers their social implications. Since much of what has been written by antiquarians and archaeologists about the islands was often the result of more modern maritime connections and knowledge transfer between local and foreign scholars, we begin by arguing for the relevance of a spatially oriented history of archaeological thought and practice.peer-reviewe

A review of Malta’s pre-temple Neolithic pottery wares

Sites from the earliest known phases of Maltese prehistory often consist of scatters of sherds for the Għar Dalam and Skorba phases (6000–4800 BCE), and tomb contexts for the Żebbuġ phase (3800–3600 BCE). Neolithic studies are, therefore, heavily reliant on the study of pottery. Although traditional typological and seriation-based analyses of the pottery record have substantially enhanced our knowledge of Early Neolithic Malta, there is a growing appreciation of the need to go beyond these approaches to gain new insights. This study reviews the accessible literature on fabric studies on assemblages found in the Maltese Islands, presenting the state of knowledge for the pottery of the Għar Dalam, Skorba (Early Neolithic), and Żebbuġ (Late Neolithic) phases. Microphotographs of pottery wares were selected from a compilation produced for an ongoing project (the MaltaPot project) to illustrate the descriptions found in the literature. The advances made by archaeologists in studying the Maltese Neolithic pottery are reviewed, and suggestions for building on them are proposed, as archaeometric and petrographic techniques have not been applied systematically to Neolithic pottery from Malta.peer-reviewe

An archaeological and archaeometric study of late Punic–Roman pottery from the Tas-Silġ Sanctuary and the Żejtun Villa, Malta

This interdisciplinary study contributes to the understanding of the use of raw materials and pottery production techniques in Late Punic– Late Republican Malta, focusing on the Tas-Silġ sanctuary and the Żejtun Villa. Plates, bowls and cooking vessels were described typologically, and their fabrics were characterised using polarised light microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence. The aims were to classify these vessels into integrated and coherent fabric groups based on all analyses, to better understand the local production of vessels and to assess a possible local provenance. Four integrated fabric groups were identified and represent local productions using distinct raw materials or production techniques. These groups can be distinguished typologically, macroscopically, petrographically and chemically. Multivariate techniques, including the chemical analysis of Maltese clays, were produced to enhance the fabric classification and discuss their raw materials. The raw materials identified are consistent with what is known in Maltese geology. One group is distinctive, and the results suggest the possible use of a previously unidentified raw material, Terra Rossa, found over the Upper Coralline Limestone. This new classification provides the basis for further studies of Late Punic–Roman sites in the Maltese islands and the future identification of imports and exports from the Maltese islands.peer-reviewe

Rural Malta : first results of the joint Belgo-Maltese survey project

The paper presents the first interdisciplinary results of a joint survey project in the north-west of Malta, with finds ranging from the Prehistoric till the Early Modern period. Three permanently inhabited sites were encountered dating to at least the late 6th or early 5th century BCE, with a clearer attestation in the Hellenistic/Roman and Late Antique periods. The resulting reconstructed settlement pattern of the Phoenician/Punic period suggests a managed landscape that seems to be a good reflexion of what is happening in North Africa and elsewhere in the central and western Mediterranean. At least from the Roman period on, these sites seem to have specialised on the production of olive oil.peer-reviewe

Small-island interactions: pottery from Roman Malta

This thesis is an investigation of Roman pottery from the Maltese islands from the 1st century BC to the mid-4th century AD, and how pottery can help assess Malta's economic role in the wider central Mediterranean region. The archipelago’s locally produced vessels, its range of ceramic exports, and the quantification of the types of amphorae, fine, and cooking wares the islands imported, were studied and the data were used to compare with the pottery available from the small islands of Pantelleria, Lampedusa and the Kerkennah isles. The aim is to revisit the theme of the economic role of the Maltese islands and other similar-sized islands in the region by moving away from the tradition of unilateral and monographic narratives, which more often than not, omit the wealth of information that can be garnered from pottery. In the first instance, a detailed study of three complete and new ceramic assemblages, including amphorae, fine, cooking and coarse wares, was undertaken. The opportunity to quantify identifiable imports and compare them with local products—the first of its kind for fine, cooking and coarse wares—provided valuable proxy data for comparing Malta with neighbouring islands and centres, and demonstrated what proportion of ceramic vessels were locally supplied, and how these changed over time. These data were also fed into a series of network analyses, which plotted the common pottery links shared between small-island and mainland sites in the region. The analyses were interpreted in conjunction with a critique of existing pottery quantification methods, and the potential acceptance for utilising all known pottery data irrespective of the quality and quantity of the published data available. Most importantly, the import trends obtained from this study were incorporated into the existing narrative of how small islands and their local industries featured in the central Mediterranean’s regional economy, highlighting the types of archaeologically visible industries that existed; how these developed symbiotically alongside other larger supply networks; and what effect this might have had on the integration of small islands in the Roman Mediterranean.</p

Small-island interactions: pottery from Roman Malta

This thesis is an investigation of Roman pottery from the Maltese islands from the 1st century BC to the mid-4th century AD, and how pottery can help assess Malta's economic role in the wider central Mediterranean region. The archipelago’s locally produced vessels, its range of ceramic exports, and the quantification of the types of amphorae, fine, and cooking wares the islands imported, were studied and the data were used to compare with the pottery available from the small islands of Pantelleria, Lampedusa and the Kerkennah isles. The aim is to revisit the theme of the economic role of the Maltese islands and other similar-sized islands in the region by moving away from the tradition of unilateral and monographic narratives, which more often than not, omit the wealth of information that can be garnered from pottery. In the first instance, a detailed study of three complete and new ceramic assemblages, including amphorae, fine, cooking and coarse wares, was undertaken. The opportunity to quantify identifiable imports and compare them with local products—the first of its kind for fine, cooking and coarse wares—provided valuable proxy data for comparing Malta with neighbouring islands and centres, and demonstrated what proportion of ceramic vessels were locally supplied, and how these changed over time. These data were also fed into a series of network analyses, which plotted the common pottery links shared between small-island and mainland sites in the region. The analyses were interpreted in conjunction with a critique of existing pottery quantification methods, and the potential acceptance for utilising all known pottery data irrespective of the quality and quantity of the published data available. Most importantly, the import trends obtained from this study were incorporated into the existing narrative of how small islands and their local industries featured in the central Mediterranean’s regional economy, highlighting the types of archaeologically visible industries that existed; how these developed symbiotically alongside other larger supply networks; and what effect this might have had on the integration of small islands in the Roman Mediterranean