https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/16439 2026-04-27T07:25:28Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/73815 Title: Roman buildings in Malta and their decoration Abstract: Every research study has to start off with a number of goals which the scholar must set and try to achieve. This study, which will be dealing with the architectural decoration of Roman buildings in the Maltese Islands, is no exception and it will have the following as its main aims: • To compile a catalogue of the fragments and elements of decorative architecture present in the National, Church and private collections in both Malta and Gozo. These will include any fragments of architraves, columns, capitals, bases and cornices but will not include pieces of coloured plasters and sculpture. This catalogue will be compiled using a digital database which will be incorporated in the Country's National database. This catalogue will also be transferred to a printed gazetteer which will be presented as a hard copy appendix with this study. • To try to identify whether any fragments mentioned in old texts (for example, Abela and Caruana) still survive in the collections and try to give a provenance to as many pieces as possible. This will help to identify the major styles and building phases used in the various periods of the Roman occupation. Description: M.A.ARCHAEOLOGY 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/72015 Title: Coarse and fine wares : a contextual meaning of pottery in late Punic and Roman Malta Abstract: The average two-litre plastic water bottles are manufactured to store, transport and pour mineral water intended for drinking purposes at the dinner table. That is what they are made to function as. However, in contemporary Maltese society, these same bottles are filled with juices, squashes, milk, alcohol, turpentine, paint and a whole host of other substances. Besides this, plastic bottles are used during sports as dumbbells; they are tied to house facades to prevent cats marking their territory; they are filled with undrinkable water and kept in cars to stock up on windscreen fluid and coolant; they are often cut in half to act as funnels (when using the top halj) or pencil and paintbrush holders (when using the bottom halj) and are useful materials for childhood arts and crafts. And a personal favourite, they are placed over metal rods, marking trench limits during archaeological excavations to prevent diggers from coming to any harm.1And of course, in today's ever-growing concern with eco-friendly waste disposal, plastic bottles are a top priority for recycling. In a nutshell, wherever these bottles end up, the likelihood is that future archaeologists will eventually interpret their original function - as drinking water bottles. The presumed 'written sources', for us, advertising campaigns, the internet and images, will assist in confirming this; however, very often archaeologists will be none the wiser in identifying many of the other roles these same bottles also played. Description: M.A.ARCHAEOLOGY 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/16457 Title: A landscape archaeology approach to the study of the Maltese girna : a case study based on the areas of ix-Xaghra l-Hamra, Id- Dar il-Bajda and Ta’ l-Ghansar in Northern Malta. Abstract: This dissertation departs from the assumption that the girna is a structure forming part of the Maltese landscape, a landscape that is largely artificial and fashioned by humans. Consequently, it is possible for the archaeologist to analyse the Maltese landscape retrogressively, by “peeling” away layer after layer of human interventions in a process which resemble the stratigraphic excavation of an archaeological site. This work proposes that in order to understand the girna one has to unravel the history of the landscape in which the girna stands. This work aims to propose a methodology to study the girna and to answer four particular questions that, it is felt, were not completely answered in past works on the Maltese girna: 1. How can archaeology be applied to understand and date securely a structure such as the Maltese girna? 2. What forces led to the building of the girna? 3. What is the relation between the girna and other structures that are found in the Maltese rural landscape? 4. How can the development of the girna be compared with the development of the corbelled huts of the Mediterranean region? It is felt that before starting with the proposal of the method, it is important to understand the development of the study of corbelled huts in Europe and the Mediterranean region. For this reason, a short description of the study of the corbelled huts in Europe and the Mediterranean will be presented in this chapter. Furthermore, a short history of the study of the girna will also be presented. However, before commencing to this exercise it is crucial to define the characteristics of the corbelled hut. Description: M.A.ARCHAEOLOGY 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z