Archaeology, nationhood and identity in a small island state

Abstract

This paper reconsiders how archaeology has been deployed in narratives of Maltese nationhood before and since Independence. The term 'archaeology' is used here to refer to the study of the past, primarily through the material record, and the use of such evidence to create narratives of the past. As is now widely recognized, the practice of archaeology and the creation or appropriation of narratives of the past, is inseparable from the cultural and political context in which they unfold. Malta is certainly no different in this regard.