https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/102886 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:15:22 GMT 2026-04-07T17:15:22Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/104296 Title: Viewscapes and cosmology in the prehistoric temples of Malta Abstract: The first known Maltese Neolithic islanders arrived from Sicily by around 6,000 BCE. In the early fifth millennium, there could have been a decline in human presence on the archipelago. A new influx of colonization from Sicily appears to have happened around 3,800 BCE, accompanied by the emergence of an original megalithic temple architecture, not known to exist anywhere else in the contemporary world. This was the start of the unique Maltese Temple Period lasting about 1,500 years, before its sudden decline around 2,400 BCE. The present thesis examines some aspects of the worldviews of this extraordinary culture. More specifically, it investigates the following question: what do viewscapes and visual relationships tell us about the cosmology of the prehistoric temple builders in Malta? This is explored through three subsidiary research questions, namely: 1) whether the builders of the megalithic temples purposely located them to be conspicuous in the landscape and have intervisibility to other temples?, 2) whether there were any preferences for open or restricted vistas and visual relationships with specific topographic features or celestial bodies on the apparent horizon?, and 3) whether temples were orientated in such a way that specific celestial objects could be seen rising or setting through their entrance frames? Each of these subsidiary questions requires a different, though complementary, methodology. Firstly, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) were deployed to perform viewshed, cumulative viewshed, total viewshed, and line-of-sight analysis, taking into consideration human acuity with respect to target’s distance and visible height. Secondly, 360° panoramas of the apparent horizon around the temples were virtually reconstructed from a Digital Elevation Model, ground-truthed through field measurements, and used to assess preferences for specific vistas as well as visual relationships to topographic features and the rising and setting of celestial objects. Thirdly, theodolite measurements of the orientation and entrance frame of the temples, in combination with astronomical software, are used to assess and identify celestial objects rising or setting in alignment with the temples’ entrances. At each step, statistical testing was conducted to assess the significance and potential intentionality of identified patterns. Based on the evidence obtained, new and interpretative empirical models are presented. It is demonstrated that temples had a high level of visibility and intervisibility, and that their locations were not chosen at random. Furthermore, it is determined that the majority of the temples were placed in the more inherently visible part of the landscape, with an open vista towards the southern horizon, and a restricted view to the north. Finally, it was found that Maltese temple entrances were preferentially aligned for observations of two bright stars, Gacrux and Avior. Integrating all the different research areas in this study, it is shown that the design, location, and orientation of temples was informed by an interest in these visual relationships. It is argued that these considerations of the viewscape were connected to a holistic cosmology, embedded in a correlation between the nested scales of the inner structure of the temples, temple locations in the landscape, and their relationships with the celestial sphere. Description: Ph.D.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/104296 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103083 Title: An archaeological approach to the study of the 'mnieżel' structures Abstract: This research proposes an archaeological methodology to study the mnieżel following the general principles of standing archaeology. The theory of standing archaeology applied proposes that structural elements and structural evolution of a structure can be analysed by previous research on the subject, field survey, measurements obtained on-site, and photogrammetry. The study is based on four case studies: Il- Minżel ta’ Miġra l-Ferħa (Rabat, Malta), Il-Minżel tal-Triq Tal-Franċiż (Swieqi, Malta), Għar il-Kbir (Siġġiewi, Malta), and Latnija Cave (Mellieħa, Malta). The research focuses on topics related to the sites, such as historical accounts, geology, the landscape, and maps from the last 50 years. The methods used are a measure-tape, an iPhone, a mobile phone application named Protractor 360º, and the photogrammetry software Agisoft. These methods were used to obtain the structural dimensions, dimensions of the stairs, the inclination of the ramp, and the elevation of the site. The results obtained from the sites show that all those mentioned above can be effective if they meet certain circumstances. The field survey is better when accompanied by a survey of historical maps. The measurements can stand on their own but are used to improve the results of the 3D model by correcting the measurements within the software. The methods helped obtain information about the dimensions and the possible functions. On the other hand, dating the sites was problematic. Sometimes, they have different phases of construction and the dates proposed are primarily based on architectonical features and historical maps/accounts. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103083 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103080 Title: The Phoenicians and world heritage : a comparative study of current and potential inscriptions on the UNESCO world heritage list Abstract: The Phoenicians have been the subject of much debate for several decades. The very meaning of the term ‘Phoenician’, their origin and homeland, and the extent of their footprint have all been questioned. Even what is categorized as ‘Phoenician’ material culture, and how members of this cultural group referred to themselves are still highly ambivalent questions. The present study investigates how the Phoenicians are represented on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and how this may have been influenced by modern day attitudes towards, and ideas about, Phoenician culture. The main strategy adopted for this study is the thorough investigation of the nomination dossiers concerning all the World Heritage Sites nominated to date and which are located in Europe and in the Arab States. The study also considers properties attesting to the Phoenicians that are listed on the Tentative Lists of the respective States Parties. Of 128 properties which attest to ancient civilizations, the nomination dossiers of eight properties identified the Phoenicians as one of the main contributors to the sites’ Outstanding Universal Value. A further 11 properties on the Tentative Lists of seven different States Parties also refer to the Phoenicians. The findings of this study are discussed further by examining the historical, cultural and political context in which these inscriptions took place. The number of Phoenician properties are explored and compared to how other ancient civilizations are represented on the List. The main finding of the study is that the following factors were significant in shaping the inscription of Phoenician properties on the World Heritage List and influencing which countries have nominated Phoenician sites for inscription: The history of Phoenician studies, the influence of Classicism and nationalism, and the French colonial past in Lebanon and Tunisia in particular. Furthermore, the investigation is suggesting that the World Heritage List is rather biased when it comes to the representativity of ancient civilizations in general. Description: M.A.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103080 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103040 Title: Al-Dafin in medieval Muslim Malta : a characterisation of funerary material culture in Arab and Norman period Malta Abstract: Medieval Malta was home to a Muslim-majority population for centuries. Consequently, they utilised a cemetery outside their newly refurbished city, Mdina, for a considerably long period of Maltese history. The study of the medieval Muslim burial and funerary culture in Malta is currently wholly based on this same medieval Muslim cemetery at the Domus Romana in Rabat, Malta. This dissertation attempts to relate the past excavations of that medieval Muslim cemeterial context conducted in the last two centuries to an unpublished site in their close vicinity excavated in 2011, known as TSP2011/12. In doing so, primary sources from this new context are presented along with secondary sources which focused on the excavations carried out in the RabatMdina area pertaining to medieval Muslim burials. An attempt is made to focus on two particular burials from TSP2011/12 in trying to relate them to notions of Muslim burial culture which will be explored in this text, along with established research in Muslim mortuary archaeology. The Maltese medieval Muslim context has produced considerable pieces of funerary art in the form of prismatic stelae which are also explored and taken into account when describing the Maltese medieval Muslim cemetery. Through a description and comparison of TSP2011/12 with the excavated contexts of the medieval Muslim burials in and around the Rabat Domus Romana, links could be established in burial typologies. Burials from TSP2011/12 are described through orientation, articulation of skeletal remains, associated artefacts and stratigraphy, including, in a minority of cases, evidence of the use of coffins, which are atypical in Muslim burials. In this study, a comparison with medieval Muslim cemeterial contexts from Monte Iato and Entella in Sicily, along with Kairouan, Tunisia, also gives further context the the Maltese medieval Muslim cemetery. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/103040 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z