https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6022 2026-09-05T19:42:44Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148636 Title: Maritime memorialization : death at sea and the influence on coastal cults Abstract: During the Age of Sail (15th-20th century) seafarers faced the dangerous maritime environment. As a result of deaths at sea, communities adopted unique practices through ritualized and modified memorialization. Maritime memorial monuments were erected terrestrially to commemorate seafarers, both in the presence of physical remains and in absence. Coastal communities incorporated these monuments into their cultural framework and memorialization spaces acted as focal points for the onset of folklore, ritualistic practices, and cult formations. These beliefs often arose due to the dangers and challenges that faced seafarers, therefore affecting coastal communities. The introduction of the term ‘trigger events’ within the field of maritime archaeology examined how memorable moments of disaster or occurrences influence the collective memory of coastal communities. This research delves into the complex relationship between maritime related deaths, memorialization, and the subsequent emergence of cultic practices in coastal communities. It explores how maritime deaths influence cultural and ritualistic practices through the role monuments play in commemorating sailors. Anchored in the 19th-century case study of Thomas McSweeney, with a focus on the coastal community of the Three Cities of Malta: Birgu (Vittoriosa), Isla (Senglea), and Bormla (Cospicua). This research demonstrates how the burial of sailors in foreign lands catalyzes the formation of local traditions and cult practices. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148119 Title: Experimental study of the charcoal taphonomy of Pistacia lentiscus (Mastic tree) Abstract: Wood charcoal is one of the most abundant botanicals which are uncovered during excavations globally. Their potential research value is wide, with a number of ways they can be studied. One such avenue of study is charcoal taphonomy, which seeks to understand how different phases of the chaîne opératoire of fuel and fire management alter the charcoal in ways which can be used to interpret back those steps. At the site of Latnija in Malta, the charcoal record is dominated by the Mediterranean shrub, Pistacia lentiscus, with profuse signs of taphonomic markers related to combustion and postdepositional processes. This thesis seeks to reconstruct the firing conditions which produce these markers, through the experimental burning of Pistacia lentiscus under conditions typical of Mesolithic hearths. This includes controlling for calibre, wood state, position in wood anatomy, firing temperature, firing atmosphere, cooling method, and number of firings. In total 300 controlled laboratory samples, 217 uncontrolled outdoor fired samples, and 10 archaeological samples were processed for this study. Laboratory samples were processed in groups of five, testing sixty different combinations of variables. Samples were photographed under a HIROX in their transverse section, and their alterations were classified, measured by height and area, and calculated for the number of cracks and percentage of area cracked in samples. The data generated did find meaningful ways to detect differences in firing temperature, firing atmosphere, cooling method, and relative position in wood anatomy. It showed further promise that discriminating between certain states and calibres may also be possible, but requires more testing. These differences proved true not just for laboratory samples, but also when applied to the uncontrolled and archaeological samples, showing utility for archaeological application. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144593 Title: The transformation of antiquities creating the historic monument in Malta between the sixteenth and the early twentieth century Abstract: This study examines the complex process through which antiquities in the Maltese Islands were transformed into historic monuments between the sixteenth century and the early twentieth century. While the empirical material is drawn from Malta, the discourse under analysis situates the Maltese experience within the broader European experience. The research explores the social, political, and cultural conditions that shaped the valorisation of antiquities and their metamorphosis into monuments, focusing on material culture valued as testimony to a historical past. Using object biographies, the study traces the afterlives of a selected range of typologically diverse antiquities – including sarcophagi, tomb stones, inscriptions, coin hoards, ancient statues, architectural pieces – from their moment of discovery through successive reinterpretations. The transformation of these objects was neither linear nor uniform: distinct historical periods, particularly the era of the Order of St John and the British colonial administration, carried their own specificities that must be understood within their respective socio-cultural contexts. Because such changes were often gradual and imperceptible, the study adopts a broad temporal perspective, enabling a more intelligible narrative of how and why certain ancient objects came to be valued and monumentalized, and others lost. Employing a Grounded Theory framework, the research identifies distinct behavioural patterns and human actions – from entextualisation, visual representation, collecting, and display to emotional responses to loss and misuse – that collectively illuminate the processes through which antiquities were reimagined as historic monuments. Description: Ph.D.(Melit.) 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/142035 Title: The role of marine resources at Latnija (Malta) and the Mesolithic to Neolithic transition in the Central Mediterranean Abstract: Recent archaeological excavations at the Latnija cave site, led by the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (Germany) and the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta, have revealed a significant prehistoric sequence marked by the consumption of wild animals and marine resources in the earlier, Mesolithic phase and subsequently by agropastoral societies. This dissertation presents a comprehensive zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the marine faunal remains, aiming to provide new insights into the lifeways and diets of Malta’s earliest inhabitants. The post-excavation processes of flotation and micro-sieving, uncovered minute and often overlooked marine remains. These techniques allowed for the reconstruction of a more detailed picture of this ancient subsistence economy by revealing evidence of fishing practices, species diversity, and the seasonal exploitation of marine resources. This study confirms that the marine faunal assemblage was the result of a cultural accumulation. The evidence indicates that the first Mesolithic colonisers of the Maltese islands were skilled anglers with a sound understanding of the local environment and ecology. Offshore fishing, possibly involving boats or canoes, cannot be ruled out. Evidence from other Central Mediterranean sites like Corsica, Sardinia, southern Italy, and Sicily, reveals a consistent exploitation of marine resources across the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic periods. At Latnija, marine species were exploited throughout all phases, with a similar marked intensification in fishing during the final Mesolithic, reflecting a cultural affinity towards the sea. Marine resources not only complemented the island's endemic wild fauna as part of a sustainable subsistence strategy, but also possibly served utilitarian, decorative, and functional purposes. The evidence supports the notion that the seascape of the Central Mediterranean functioned as a conduit for interaction and allows us to move beyond our understanding of the Maltese Neolithic and sheds light on the paleo-diets of the local pre-Temple Period. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z