https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/12176 2026-04-15T11:58:48Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/12931 Title: Exploring connectivity in the central Mediterranean in prehistory : the case of foreign imports in Malta Abstract: Up until recently, islands were all too often viewed as isolated microcosms at the mercy of their harsh geographic reality. Despite this, the discovery of exotic materials hailing from distant places act as ideal indicators of contact in prehistory. Using the sea to their advantage, these naturally bounded entities both allowed their inhabitants to amalgamate themselves with a broader network of relationships, whilst providing them with an opportunity to develop unique cultural traits. It is for this reason that discussions concerning connectivity often pertain to islands and island cultures, although such discourses often focus on its archaeological indicators and object diasporas, forgetting that connectivity is ultimately a product of social action. Lying at the core of the Mediterranean Sea are the Maltese Islands, whose prehistoric past, characterized by idiosyncratic ritual practices set within architectural marvels, has eluded scholars for centuries, leading them to believe that their geographic condition led to the development of inimitable cultural traits. Despite this, available archaeological evidence illustrates how the islands were not entirely isolated, as attested to through the discovery of materials and objects known to hail from distant sources. Within this framework, this dissertation sought to approach connectivity from a different perspective, by shedding light on the social and economic motives which encouraged the Maltese Islands’ prehistoric inhabitants to remain incorporated within a wider network of foreign relations. To achieve this, it was imperative to study the imported objects within the context from which they were discovered. Due to the fact that the actual findspot of a large number of the objects was unavailable for study, the objects were studied in relation to the context type, of which three were identified locally: temple, tomb and hut. The spring board for this study was the compilation of an exhaustive catalogue of imports, which was organized in a manner so as to allow for the volume of collected data to be analysed, which involved the application of statistical and spatial analysis methods aimed at identifying otherwise latent patterns within the data. With the aid of ethnographic accounts and archaeological parallels, a number of interpretations were subsequently made. Such interpretations demonstrated how the imported objects may have served to discriminate between individuals of different social hierarchies based on religious knowledge and their ability to procure exotic materials, whilst playing a crucial role in consolidating group identities by being used during ritual performances and secular activities, ultimately exhibiting how connectivity with the outside world was often controlled during different periods of Malta’s prehistory. Description: M.A.ARCHAEOLOGY 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/12492 Title: Archaeology and politics in post-independence Malta Abstract: The political nature of archaeology has been part of the theoretical discourse of the discipline since the early 1970s. This post-processual direction in archaeological theory has led to many historiographies on the development of archaeology being written. The study of Malta’s archaeological history and the role that politics has played in its development in the years following post-Independence, has received limited attention. This study focuses on the relationship of archaeology and politics and the manifestation of that liaison through the presentation of three separate but linked case studies: (1) definitive stamp sets, (2) a documentary production entitled Malta and the Phoenicians: The Phoenician Presence and Influence which Shaped and Influenced History, and (3) the planning of a foreign archaeological mission to Malta. The case studies were approached through an analysis of the relevant material and literature in order to explore the relationship between archaeology and politics in Malta from 1964 till 2004. The data gathered allowed for an appraisal of the ways in which post-Independence administrations have utilised archaeology; from the discipline’s use as a tourist attraction, the practice of using an archaeological culture for nationalist propaganda, to the involvement of the government in the planning and execution of an archaeological mission. It is argued that the intrinsically political nature of archaeology manifests itself in nation-building initiatives. Description: B.A.(HONS)ARCHAEOLOGY 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/12477 Title: Investigating the landscape context and the architectural idiosyncrasies of the late medieval church of San Mikiel is-Sinċir at Rabat, Malta Abstract: This research topic was inspired by my personal interest in the Late Medieval period of Maltese archaeology and history as well as by a desire to create an awareness about the church of San Mikiel is-Sinċir, which unfortunately, despite its having been restored in AD 1983, is currently in a state of neglect. This dissertation seeks to explore the landscape context of the Late Medieval Ġnien is-Sultan and its other neighbouring giardini estates with reference to the church of San Mikiel is-Sinċir’s architectural characteristics within various giardini contexts in the Rabat area. According to seventeenth-century documentation, it is physically locted in the Giardino di San Michele which forms part of a larger giardino context. The research work combines archaeological and historical textual data in order to examine the medieval landscape context of San Mikiel is-Sinċir, with particular reference to the church structure and medieval giardino agriculture practice. It must here be noted that the focus is not on the present landscape context of the church but mainly, although not completely, on its landscape context during the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries AD, because this coincides with the period of the building of the church until its deconsecration. Although the area has always been an agricultural one and still is today, the church over the years has lost its importance within the agricultural giardini context. Furthermore, the landscape surrounding is much changed when it comes to field boundaries and crop production. I have focused on this particular time- frame since it was during this period that the church would have been of particular significance to this landscape. This will be discussed further in the research methodology (section 1.6) which includes an account of how the aims and objectives (section 1.2 and 1.3), were achieved. Thus this dissertation will focus on the Late Medieval landscape context of the church of San Mikiel is-Sinċir, by analysing the textual and archaeological sources as well as field research-based information. This dissertation will also look at the medieval architecture of the church, its dedication, its history, its excavation and rehabilitation. Description: B.A.(HONS)ARCHAEOLOGY 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/12471 Title: A contextual study of querns from prehistoric sites in the Maltese Islands Abstract: Ground stone tools are not as widely studied in archaeology as other stone tool assemblages, such as flaked tools. Research on the topic of ground stone immediately highlights the fact that this area suffers from widely varying terminology in different areas, making intersite comparisons of different assemblages practically impossible. This study aimed to take a ground stone classification system that already existed and apply it to the ground stone assemblage from a selection of prehistoric sites in the Maltese archipelago. The second aim was to relate the information obtained from the assemblage to a possible systemic context for the tools. The sites chosen for this study included Ħaġar Qim, Saflieni, Santa Verna, Skorba, Ta’ Ħaġrat and Tarxien. Following the systematic collection of data, based on a study of 134 tools, the variables and characteristics of the objects were used to attempt to provide a systemic context to the ground stone tools in the study based on a consideration of archaeological context, when it was available. The application of the classification system used in this study shows that when terminology is kept consistent it is much easier to extract information from an assemblage. Tools from various sites were found to have possibly been involved in the processing of foodstuffs, stone and bone tool production and ritual ceremonies. Description: B.A.(HONS)ARCHAEOLOGY 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z