| CODE | LAS1075 | ||||||
| TITLE | Ancient and Medieval Local Worship Spaces | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | I - Introductory Level | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The history of spiritual experience has been intertwined with the history of man, as man, in every civilization and age, has tried to communicate with a higher force (the divine). For this practise specific spaces were created, which could be open air areas, built structures, underground structures etc, according to the technology of any particular area. Malta and Gozo bear evidence of such spaces stretching from prehistory (Ġgantija, Ħal Saflieni etc) to ancient history (Tas-Silġ, the catacombs etc),early medieval (Abbatija tad-Dejr, the old church at Il-Maqluba etc) till the late medieval era (Ħal Millieri, St Basil etc). These include temples, hypogea, catacombs, crypts, early medieval troglodite churches, and medieval structures. The study-unit will be divided into three parts: 1) a historical overview of these spaces and their present state of preservation; 2) the liturgies celebrated therein; and 3) field visits to these sites. Study-Unit Aims: Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Acquire a detailed introduction to local archaeological sites related to religious belief - Relate to the necessity of having spaces related to worship in different religious systems that were present in Malta - Acquire a basic knowledge of how different faiths address similar needs through different channels, and how this is seen through architecture 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Compare and contrast places of worship coming from different periods and linked to different religions in Maltese history - Analyze the role given to the use of space and its decoration Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - David H. Trump, Malta: Prehistory and Temples (Malta: Midsea Books, 2002). - Anthony Bonanno, Malta: Phoenician, Punic and Roman (Malta: Midsea Books, 2005). - Charles Dalli, Malta: The Medieval Millenium (Malta: Midsea Books, 2006). - Mario Buhagiar, Essays on the Archaeology and Ancient History of the Maltese Islands (Malta: Midsea Books, 2014). |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Fieldwork | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Keith Buhagiar Jonathan Farrugia (Co-ord.) |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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