The religious cults of thaumaturgical powers and the devotion towards St Nicholas of Bari in Malta

This paper explores the development of religious cult statues in Malta with particular reference to the use of the imagen a vestir statues. At first, the statues were of two types. The first were the small wooden statues about one metre in height. The second type was slightly bigger. The heads, and often the hands and lower part, were sculptured in wood whilst the rest of the body was dressed up. The use of the processional statues owes its origins to Birgu towards the end of the sixteenth century. Slowly the custom spread throughout the island. After Birgu, one of the first Maltese parishes to acquire a statue was Siggiewi. This paper will explain the diffusion of this cult and answer why such a rural parish, was one of the first parishes in Malta to have a processional cult statue.peer-reviewe

Anatomies of Spanish settlers in Malta between 1580 and 1648 : their family stories

This paper will attempt to reconstruct the different identity kits of Spanish settlers in Malta between 1580 and 1648. The analysis shall use the Status Liberi documentation which is a series of Ecclesiastical Acts recording the assessment of foreigners by an ecclesiastical judge of those outsiders who wished to get married in Malta. This procedure was undertaken to verify whether the candidate was single or not, the former being and remains a sine qua non for marriage. The surviving documents recount the lives of these settlers before taking up permanent residence in Malta and highlight the reason behind their decision to settle down in Malta. The most fascinating aspect of these documents is that these stories are recounted by the protagonists themselves. They give insight to issues of identity and shared memory among the Spanish settlers. In the majority, they were simple folk without any pretensions or extraordinary expectations. Were it not for such a prerequisite their life histories would have been lost forever.peer-reviewe

Windmills and the production of gunpowder in Malta

Each and every discussion revolving around the history of windmills in Malta has always and, wrongly so, focused on their exclusive use for grinding wheat and barley, without taking into consideration that some of these windmills, in particular those situated behind the fortified walls (but not only), could have had a dual function; that of being powder mills and machines for the grinding of corn. Old maps of the Grand Harbour have clearly documented the use of windmills in Malta forthe exclusive production of gunpowder at the turn of the seventeenth century. For security reasons, gunpowder mills were mostly situated within the city walls. However, in the absence of historical records, the major difficulties are: which of these windmills were used for milling grain? Which had a dual function? Which were used exclusively for producing gun powder? This paper seeks to answer these questions.peer-reviewe

60th anniversary of the Malta Historical Society : a commemoration

Two books published in Tunisia in 2006 have direct relevance to the history of Malta during Arab rule. The first one, published by the Institut National du Patrimoine, consists of a two-volume work by Bahri Fathi entitled Les Hommes du pouvoir et les hommes du savoir en Ifnqiyya aglabide (184-296/800-909), wherein the author discusses the main personages that held power and knowledge during the time when Malta fell into the hands of the Arabs. The second publication, a festschrift entitled Les Communautis Miditerraniennes de Tunisie, Hommage au Doyen Mohamed Hidi Cherij, contains a number of articles that are of direct and indirect interest to Malta. There is one particular article on which I will be focusing my attention due to its relevance to Maltese medieval history: a paper by Faouzi Mahfoudh entitled 'Itiniraire d'un affranchi aghlabide: Kahalef(sic.}, un constructeur hors pair (203-254 de l'hegire/818-867)'. In my opinion, these two books bring to the fore some of the hidden dynamics behind the conquest of Malta by the Arabs and furnish an Arabic view of the rather complex and unclear history of how the islands of Malta and Gozo fell into Aghlabid hands at the end of a bloody period dominated by harsh wars and perpetual fighting between the Arabs and the Byzantines in the Central Mediterranean.peer-reviewe

Beyond the capacity of a small island. A review of unpublished research by WA Griffith on Maltese dockyards

The paper is concerned with a piece of unpublished research on the history of Maltese dockyards by WA Griffith, completed in 1917. It is in three parts. Firstly, the background to the commissioning of the work by the Senior Naval Officer in Malta between 1916 and 1919 is described, The problems facing the ultimately abortive project are then examined, and finally a critical review of the research is offered.peer-reviewe

Pesca e patrimonio industriale tecniche, strutture e organizzazione (Sicilia, Puglia, Malta e Dalmazia tra XIX e XX secolo)

La storia della pesca a Malta e stata studiata in modo superficiale o lacunoso fino ad· alcuni decenni addietro. Abbiamo solo qualche volume, di recente pub blicazione, che presta maggio're attenzione alla situazione contemporanea trascurando la storia di pililungo periodo di questa attivita che oggi si e trasformata in industria. Nel 1995 Stanley Farrugia Randon pubblica The Fishing Industry in Malta, Past Present and Future, studio pioniere su questa attivita industriale. Nel 1998 Joseph Muscat presenta The Dghajsa and Other Traditional Maltese Boats, primo libro suIle barche maltesi, mohe delle quali utilizzate per la pesca. n congresso organizzato a Bari tra il 26 e 27 novernbre 2005 mi ha dato l' opportunita di aprire una finestra su questa attivita che e stata sicuramente di primaria importanza a Malta nei secoli passati e ha interagito con l'agricoltura, l'edilizia e la produzione del sale, il commercio e la pirateria.peer-reviewe

Proceedings of Italo-Maltese workshop on integration of geomorphological environment and cultural heritage for tourism promotion and hazard prevention

The topic of geomorphology may appear too new for some literary circles in Malta, and of little value for others, but its importance can be judged by just typing this word in the internet search engine, Google. The resulting search gives over 2,940,000 entries which feature by way or another this term or information connected to it. In simple language, geomorphology is about the study of landscape. The origins of this word, which has Greek roots, mean the interaction of earth with form. This interaction-expresses the significance and importance of this study. It is not important only in terms of science, bur as it is the study of different each forms, it renders itself useful to humanity. It is because of this interdisciplinary aspect that geomorphology at the University of Malta is housed within the Geography Division, The latter is one of the Divisions which constitute the subjects taught in the Mediterranean Institute at the University of Malta. The nature and set up of the Mediterranean Institute is interdisciplinary and it continuously seeks to bridge art with the science subjects. In academic jargon, the Mediterranean Institute is often refined to as a servicing institution as it is in the privileged position to offer courses, for both arts and science students.peer-reviewe

Hal Kirkop u l-inhawi ta’ madwar

Metajsir l-analiii ta' l-ibliet u l-irhula Maltin ghas-snin l-imghoddija, hafna drabi I-punt tat-tluq ikunu studji barranin ta' kittieba ta' l-istorja stabbiliti, u fuq dak Ii dawn kitbu, l-istoriku lokali jibni dak Ii fl-IngIiz hu maghruf bhala ''framework', biex jinkwadra fih il-kitba ta' l-aspett ta' l-istorja Ii dwaru jrid jikteb ghall-grajja ta' pajjizna. L-uzu ta' teoriji u kitbiet barranin, b'mod specjali f'dak Ii ghandu x'jaqsam ma' kitbiet ispirati mill-antropologija u socjologija, wasslu biex taw dimensjoni gdida lill-kitba ta' l-istorja taghna. Dan hu tajjeb, ghax tana c-cans Ii naraw grajjiet artna b'mod u b'vizjoni differenti. Izda wiehed irid izomm deijem quddiem ghajnejh Ii l-kuntest lokaIi Ii dwaru qed issir il-kitba ta' l-istorja joffri aspetti partikulari Ii mhux bilfors jidhlu f'mudelli barranin. Aspetti partikulari ta' studji barranin Ii kellhom effet fuq il-hsieb lokali jidher b'mod partikulari fejn il-hajja fl-ibliet u fl-irhula taghna bdiet tigi mqabbla. Infatti, mil-mod ta' kif wiehed ilIum qed jikteb l-istorja taghna, u jiddeskrivi l-qasam rurali, tohrog hafna I-influenza ta' l-antropologija u s-socjologija, u kwazi I-bzonn Ii tkun stabbilita l-ezistenza ta' kuntrasti halIi tintwera d-differenza u tkun affermata l-eiistenza ta' zewg dinjiet differenti. Imma kemm minn dan kollu jista' jghodd ghal Malta? L-istudju tar-rahal zghir ta' Hal Kirkop joffri sors ta' anaIizi interessanti gnal dan il-kuntest globali. F'termini ta' popolazzjoni, Hal Kirkop kien wiehed mill-izghnar irhula ta' pajjizna. Dan I-aspett partikulari tieghu gie maghruf fil-passat ghax ga gie uzat bhala Iaboratorju ta' studju antropologiku u socjali, kif wrejt qabel. Ic-cokon ghandu I-valur tieghu f'dinja akkademika.peer-reviewe

Acteurs locaux et patrimoine immateriel: le role des villes historiques de la Mediterranee

La circonscription des villes portuaires a Malte a sa repartition geographique particuliere. Le port maltais se compose de plusieurs bras de mer qui sont separes par des langues de terre. Sur la peninsule la plus grande se trouve la Valette avec Ie faubourg de Floriana. De l'autre cote du port, juste en face de la Valette on trouve les peninsulcs de Birgu et de Senglea, Au bout de ces peninsules, la ville de Bonnla unit ces deux etendues de terre. La circonscription de Birgu, Bormla et Senglea est connue sous Ie nom des Trois Cites ou Cotton era , Dans celle etude fessayerai de faire l'analysc des Trois Cites vis-a-vis de la capitale, la Valette. En d'autrcs tennes, une etude separee sur chacune de ces villes aurait pour resultat une dissertation de nature superficielle. Enfin, cet article tente de detacher la Valette et les Trois Villes de la perspective locale et les rapportant a la tendance emergeant en Europe, en particulier dans les villes de Mediterranee.peer-reviewe