63 research outputs found
An iconography of insularity : a cosmological interpretation of some images and spaces in the late neolithic temples of Malta
This paper proposes a fresh model for interpreting some of the iconography and megalithic
architectural forms that emerged in Malta during the Late Neolithic. Recent studies of the
relationship between the Maltese archipelago and the world beyond, and between the monumental
megalithic sites and their landscape setting, will inform an interpretation of some of the
iconography and architectural forms that characterize these sites. Patterns in their use of spatial
order, architectural devices and carved reliefs are interpreted as elements in a programmatic
recreation of an island cosmology. It is suggested that the prehistoric islanders used
these images and spaces to express and mediate concerns with cosmological order.peer-reviewe
Water, geomythology and cosmology in late Neolithic Malta
Water is one of the most widely encountered elements in the environment. Indispensable
for most forms of life, its significance for humans is primordial and universal. Yet because it
is so fluid and evanescent, it is sometimes under-represented in our readings of the material
record of past behaviour. The present paper revisits one such example, where the use of
water and its influence on human behaviour have until recently received little attention in
the interpretation of the evidence (Bonanno 2009). The example comes from the prehistory
of the Maltese archipelago. It promises to be an interesting case. Notwithstanding the
considerable changes that the island environment has undergone since prehistory, one may
still make reasoned inferences on where fresh water was more available. Furthermore, the
remoteness of the example in time, together with the complete absence of written or oral
evidence, make it an interesting case to explore some possibilities and limitations in the
reconstruction of past attitudes to water from the material record alone.
The present paper sets out to explore the question of attitudes to water among the
Neolithic inhabitants of the Maltese archipelago, best known for the series of remarkable
megalithic monuments they created during the 4th millennium BC and the first half of the
3rd millennium BC, usually referred to as ‘temples’ in the literature. The landscape setting
of these monuments is considered below, followed by the hydrology of the archipelago, and
some of the associated beliefs and toponyms that are documented from more recent periods.
The prehistoric evidence for the use of water in different contexts is then examined
against this background.peer-reviewe
Site, artefacts and landscape: Prehistoric Borg in-Nadur, Malta
A new paradigm for archaeological site management is
established in Malta during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The
history of how this paradigm is shaped by the British colonial context is
traced. A series of key innovative measures in archaeological site
management that take place from the 1880s onwards at and around Borġ
in-Nadur are considered. Practices and attitudes that emerged in that
seminal period have continued to pervade approaches to archaeological
resource management down to the present. A paradigm shift may be
required to achieve a more integrated, socially embedded and holistic
stewardship of the archaeological landscape.peer-reviewe
Monuments and landscapes in Late Neolithic Malta
The imposing prehistoric buildings of the Maltese islands have long fascinated Mediterranean travellers. They have also been the subject of much archaeological study and speculation, most of which has focused on their architectural development and the technology used to construct them. Now investigation of the relationship between these impressive sites and the islands’ landscapes is yielding new insights into how the Neolithic islanders organized their world.peer-reviewe
Site, artefacts and landscape: Prehistoric Borg in-Nadur, Malta
Marsaxlokk is one of the most sheltered harbours in the Maltese
archipelago, and has been exploited since the earliest known settlement of
the islands. The variability of the coastal and inland topography around the
harbour presents constraints as well as opportunities, which have
influenced human decisions and strategies in different periods. The two
key sites of Borġ in-Nadur and Tas-Silġ are compared. GIS-based Cost
Surface Analysis and Least Cost Path Analysis are used to explore the
different types of connectivity enjoyed by these sites. It is argued that this
difference is a hitherto undiscussed factor behind the different trajectories
that these sites follow in different periods.peer-reviewe
Selling space and time : the case of sejjieh dekorattiv
Sometime during the late 1980's, the weathered stones from dismantled
or collapsed dry-stone walls started being gathered, and their outer surfaces
were sawn away in laminae about an inch thick. Such laminae, weathered and
rugged on one side, freshly cut and smooth on the other, were then glued side
by side to the facades of newly-built houses. The neatly cut, white limestone
ashlar masonry in which these facades, like most buildings in Malta, had been
raised, was concealed beneath the collage of darkened and irregularly shaped
slices of rubble. At first glance, the areas treated in this way had been
transformed into a rubble wall.
Ethnographic research has been conducted in San Gwann, a suburban village and Rabat, a small town. Several streets were explored in these localities in order to obtain some
understanding of the distribution of sejjieh dekorattiv throughout the village
or town, paying close attention to the role it plays in the context of particular
facades. Fifteen informal interviews were carried out with a number of
home-owners, aimed at eliciting their perceptions of sejjieh dekorattiv. This article is the first result of an ongoing research project. Important
issues, such as the trends which emerge from the overall distribution of sejjieh
dekorattiv throughout Malta as a whole have not as yet been tackled. The observations which follow
must not be seen as definitive. They should rather be seen as an attempt to
initiate discussion and investigation of this issue.peer-reviewe
Underground environments, worldviews, and sustainable stewardship
This paper examines an aspect of a value-based approach to underground built heritage (UBH). A key tool for the manager of any built heritage today is the mapping of its manifold values for different audiences, to inform their management strategy. This paper first reviews an important paradigm shift that has occurred in the humanities and in cultural heritage management, leading to the recognition of the centrality of the world views and lived experience of the different members that make up communities. Drawing on a selection of examples from the literature, it then demonstrates how many UBH sites across a wide spectrum of cultures acquired cosmological and cultic value and significance in a way that is qualitatively different to most built heritage sites above ground. The spectrum of challenges that this poses to the UBH site manager is then outlined by reviewing literature on a selection of UBH examples, from prehistoric archaeological sites to living religious sites. Some key guiding principles are proposed for the management of these different scenarios. Culturally sensitive management that respects the existing value systems of local communities is indispensable wherever such communities are present. Decision-makers need to be keenly aware of these value systems and need to recognize, empower, and complement existing traditional systems of stewardshippeer-reviewe
Bilateral intralobar pulmonary sequestration : a case report
Bronchopulmonary sequestration is a congenital lung malformation consisting of a non-functioning lung segment. Arterial supply to such a segment is found to be systemic rather than pulmonary, and by definition there is no communication with the tracheobronchial tree. It accounts for about 6% of all congenital pulmonary malformations. Bilateral bronchopulmonary sequestration is yet more uncommon. These malformations can be classified as either intralobar sequestration (the commoner type), or extralobar sequestration (in 14- 25%).peer-reviewe
Space dependent mean field approximation modelling
C. Zerafa and R. Cauchi acknowledge the support of the Strategic Educational Pathways Scholarship Scheme (Malta). These STEPS scholarships are part-financed by the European Union European Social Fund. B. Zapotoczny thanks for the PhD grant under
Sub-Action 8.2.2 Regional Innovation Strategies, Activity 8.2 Know-How Transfer, Priority VIII Regional Business Personnel of the Human Capital Operational Programme, co-funded from the EU resources within the European Social Fund as well as the state budget and the Lubuskie Voivodship.It is shown that the self-consistency condition which is the basic equation for calculating the mean-field order parameter of any mean-field model Hamiltonian can be replaced by the standard Metropolis Monte Carlo scheme. The advantage of this method is its ease of implementation for both the homogeneous mean-field order parameter and the heterogeneous one. To be specific, the mean-field version of the Ising model spin system is discussed in detail and the resulting magnetization is the same as in the case of solving the respective mean-field self-consistency equation. In addition, it is shown that if a high temperature phase of such system is quenched below critical temperature then the mean field experienced by spins develops into a network of domains in analogous way as it happens with the spins in the case of the exact many-body Hamiltonian system and the coarsening processes start to take place. To show that the introduced Metropolis Monte Carlo method works also in case of the continuous variables the order parameter for the Maier-Saupe model for nematic liquid crystals has been calculated.peer-reviewe
- …