The San Niklaw Cave - settlement

The adaptation of caves as dwellings and shrines represents an ancient Mediterranean practice. Places such as Granada in Spain, Matera in Apulia, Matmata in Tunisia and Cava D’Ispica in Sicily show that “Mediterranean people have always chosen caves and grottoes, natural or excavated, as providing cool and often defensible dwellings, stores, stalls, cisterns, churches, burial places and catacombs”peer-reviewe

Water management strategies and the cave-dwelling phenomenon in Late-Medieval Malta

In the arid Maltese archipelago, farmers have been almost exclusively dependent on the annual rainfall, aided by irrigation where the geology permits. The archaeological significance and relevance of narrow rock-cut tunnels tapping the perched aquifer had until my study of the medieval and early modern cave-settlements and water galleries in NW. Malta, south-west of the Great Fault (Fig. 1),1 and further fieldwork since 2002, escaped scholarly atten- tion. The geology of Malta enables cave-settlement as well as the availability of trapped underground water in some parts of the island. This paper describes the evidence for the cave-dwelling phenomenon in Malta, the underground galleries that exploited this water source, and their likely relationship. But first, some understanding is required of the local geology and hydrology.peer-reviewe

Comino : historical and archaeological observations

Archaeological finds from Comino may not be as numerous and extensive as other discoveries made in other parts of the Maltese islands, but are still of valid importance in the reconstruction of past land use and settlement patterns. The aim of this paper is to furnish the reader with a comprehensive account of documented archaeological findings. It also attempts to investigate the land use and hydrological potential of the island in the medieval and early modern periods.peer-reviewe

Revisiting Wied ir-Rum : some recent archaeological discoveries

The historical and archaeological potential of Wied ir-Rum was brought to the forefront in 1995 when a box-like room, having the technical idiosyncrasies of a late medieval church, was discovered by Prof. Alain Blondy at Simblija. The structure was tentatively associated with the long-lost church of Santa Maria ta’ Callus, which was formally deconsecrated in 1636. On-going non-invasive fieldwork at Wied ir- Rum led to the detection of other archaeologically important features. The most significant of these is a meticulously cut rectangular-shaped subterranean chamber which this study tentatively associates with the church of San Ġakbu (St James), mentioned by Pietro Dusina in his 1575 visitation report. A reinterpretation of the archaeological significance of a subterranean, circular-shaped bath at Ta’ Baldu is also attempted. The bath was formerly tentatively dated to the Roman period, but new evidence, makes the late medieval period a more probable option. Another cave in the Il-Qattara area has been tentatively associated with a subterranean centimolo for which no historical documentation survives.peer-reviewe

Water management in Medieval and Early Modern Malta

The known historical documentation on the water sources and management employed for domestic and agricultural use in late medieval Malta is limited. The earliest record does not predate 1467 and the surviving documentation cannot be regarded, as being a representative sample of what probably existed (Wettinger 1982: 1). When trying to reconstruct day-to-day life in late medieval Malta, including water storage and management, fifteenth century notarial deeds are a multifaceted source of information. The notarial deeds of Notary Giacomo Zabbara show entries for aqua, aque, aqueductus, aquarum pluviarum conductus, cisterna, conductus and irrigacio (Fiorini 1996; 1999). Sixteenth century notarial deeds might yield more evidence in this respect, but their investigation has still to be systematically undertaken.peer-reviewe

Archaeology via underwater robots : mapping and localization within Maltese cistern systems

This paper documents the application of several underwater robot mapping and localization techniques used during an archaeological expedition. The goal of this project was to explore and map ancient cisterns located on the islands of Malta and Gozo. The cisterns of interest acted as water storage systems for fortresses, private homes, and churches. They often consisted of several connected chambers, still containing water. A sonar-equipped Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was deployed into these cisterns to obtain both video footage and sonar range measurements. Four different mapping and localization techniques were employed including 1) Sonar image mosaics using stationary sonar scans, and 2) Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) while the vehicle was in motion, 3) SLAM using stationary sonar scans, and 4) Localization using previously created maps. Two dimensional maps of 6 different cisterns were successfully constructed. It is estimated that the cisterns were built as far back as 300 B.C.peer-reviewe

Underwater robots with sonar and smart tether for underground cistern mapping and exploration

This paper describes the application of using a submersible remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to map and explore underground water cisterns during a series of expeditions to Malta and Gozo. The purpose of this project was to create maps of ancient cisterns located under private homes, churches, and fortresses where passageways leading to the cisterns are too narrow and dangerous for humans to enter. These cisterns were used as water storage systems for hundreds of years, and many still contained water. The small ROV that was lowered into these cisterns was equipped with a sonar module to enable the creation of maps, two cameras to record live video, a grabber-arm for interacting with objects in the environment, and a Smart Tether to record additional positioning data of the ROV. Each of these components are discussed in terms of functionality and appropriateness for use by archaeologists wishing to explore and extract mapping information from narrow water-filled caverns. Additionally, three different mapping and localization techniques are presented including 1) Sonar image mosaics using stationary sonar scans, 2) Sonar image mosaics using stationary sonar scans with Smart Tether position data, and 3) Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) using stationary sonar scans. Each of the algorithms used in this project have benefits in certain applications. During two expeditions in Malta and Gozo, 2-dimensional maps of 32 cisterns were successfully constructed.peer-reviewe

The Malta cistern mapping project : expedition II

This paper documents the second of two archeological expeditions that employed several underwater robot mapping and localization techniques. The goal of this project is to explore and map ancient cisterns located on the islands of Malta and Gozo. Dating back to 300 B.C., the cisterns of interest acted as water storage systems for fortresses, private homes, and churches. They often consisted of several connected chambers, still containing water. A Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), was deployed into cisterns to obtain video and sonar images. Using a variety of sonar based mapping techniques, two-dimensional maps of 18 different cisterns were created.peer-reviewe

FeMn and FeMnAg biodegradable alloys : an in vitro and in vivo investigation

Iron-based biodegradable metal bone graft substitutes are in their infancy but promise to fill bone defects that arise after incidents such as trauma and revision arthroplasty surgery. Before clinical use however, a better understanding of their in vivo biodegradability, potential cytotoxicity and biocompatibility is required. In addition, these implants must ideally be able to resist infection, a complication of any implant surgery. In this study there was significant in vitro cytotoxicity caused by pure Fe, FeMn, FeMn1Ag and FeMn5Ag on both human foetal osteoblast (hFOB) and mouse pre-osteoblast (MC3T3-E1) cell lines. In vivo experiments on the other hand showed no signs of ill-effect on GAERS rats with the implanted FeMn, FeMn1Ag and FeMn5Ag pins being removed largely uncorroded. All Fe-alloys showed anti-bacterial performance but most markedly so in the Ag-containing alloys, there is significant bacterial resistance in vitro.peer-reviewe