Living and dying in a foreign country : Maltese immigrants in middle Bronze Age Sicily?

Abstract

In the Middle Bronze Age, Sicily is drawn into the Mycenaean commercial network which brings cultural elements from the central and eastern Mediterranean to its shores. Among the foreign artefacts introduced in several coastal settlements in the territory of Siracusa are not only Mycenaean and Cypriot wares but also a substantial amount of Maltese Borġ in-Nadur-type pottery. This has been found in both domestic and funerary contexts. The most important evidence of this ceramic class comes from the necropolis of Cozzo del Pantano, located on the banks of the river Ciane, explored by Paolo Orsi in 1893. This paper considers the large assemblage of vessels coming from tomb 23 in order to explore the significance of such pottery in Sicilian sites. The suggestion is made that Maltese immigrants may have been living within local coastal enclaves.