https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48148 Sat, 25 Apr 2026 06:03:03 GMT 2026-04-25T06:03:03Z https://www.um.edu.mt:443/library/oar/retrieve/059f8913-5683-4d15-b251-06ae385aa99e/tas-silg pic2.jpg https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48148 https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48221 Title: Palynology of some archaeological deposits from tas-Silġ Authors: Hunt, Chris O. Abstract: The Maltese Islands lie in an area of strong Mediterranean climate, so that deposits suitable for the preservation of pollen, such as peat bogs, have never formed. The soils of the islands are alkaline and the seasonal wetting and drying is not conducive to the preservation of pollen. Mollusc shells do survive well in Maltese soils and have provided an important environmental sequence at the Brochtorff Circle at Xagħra on Gozo, and another at Tas-Silġ, but resolution of these studies is limited by the extreme environmental elasticity of the Maltese land-snail fauna. Until recently, therefore, apart from occasional archaeological pollen analyses,there was very limited understanding of Maltese vegetation history. The coastal marine deposits have recently yielded pollen, but the deposits are discontinuous and often poorly dated. In essence, the marine sequences show rapid clearance of what appears to have been pine-cupressaceae woodland some time before 7000 years ago and then a relatively unchanging open landscape with steppic vegetation and cereal cultivation through to the present day. The dating of the marine deposits is, however, rarely exact enough to he able to reliably relate events in the pollen diagrams to Maltese cultural phases. There is, therefore, a need for more chronologically-controlled palynological work, in close proximity to sites of human activity, so that a well-resolved history of human-landscape interaction may be established. This chapter describes and interprets the palynology of selected contexts at Tas-Silġ, as a step towards this aim. Description: This document includes Appendices, Archival sources, and References. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48221 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48218 Title: Coins and contacts Authors: Frey-Kupper, Suzanne Abstract: During the excavations conducted from 1996 and 2005 in the Southern part of the sanctuary of Tas-Silġ, 29 coins were recovered. Twenty-eight are ancient coins and one is a British halfpenny of 1863 attesting to the last period of foreign rule before Malta gained its independence in 1964. The series of ancient specimens consists of bronze coins and includes 19 Punic, four Greek (catalogue nos 10-11, Syracuse; no. 23, Messana, Mamertines, and no. 24 Catana) and five uncertain coins (nos 4-5, 22, 25 and 28). Many of the coins are badly corroded due to the condition of the soil, but at least in some instances probably also due to the action of fire. Yet, thanks to careful restoration and examination of the originals 23 specimens could be identified. For the remaining five coins we have to content ourselves with time spans ranging up to two centuries. Although the legible coins represent a modest number, along with the 111 specimens collected during the excavations of the Missione Archeologica ltaliana in 1963-1970 in the northern part of the sanctuary (Table 7: 5), they form the most important group of Hellenistic site finds ever assembled from a site in Malta. These materials together constitute a substantial coin series and play a key role in assessing not only the history of the sanctuary, but of the island in general. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48218 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48214 Title: Environmental analyses based on molluscan and other sedimentological remains Authors: Fenech, Katrin; Schembri, Patrick J. Abstract: The University excavations at Tas-Silġ offered an opportunity to apply scientific environmental analyses in an attempt to reconstruct the environment of the site and to detect the impact that human activity throughout the periods might have had on the site and its surroundings. To date, much of what is known about the Maltese environment in antiquity has mainly been based on ancient literary sources and some archaeological remains that implied particular agricultural activities. Scientific investigations of plant macro remains and pollen from archaeological deposits prior to 1996 were rare but shed important light on the environment of the Maltese Islands during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The information gained from these different methods, however, was either rather general or valid only for a specific period at a specific spot. The Tas-Silġ site, on the other hand, is a multi-period one where the age of the deposits ranges from the Neolithic to the present day. Hence, the various deposits excavated at the site offered the unique opportunity to study the environment and how it has been changed through human activities. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48214 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48203 Title: The worked stone Authors: Cardona, David Abstract: Stone is the Maltese Islands' natural resource par excellence and as such artefacts and finds made of this material are found in abundance in any archaeological site on the islands. This is even more so in a site with such a long period of use resulting in so many building phases. Stone is obviously used mostly as building material or its by-products, but it was also extensively used for other purposes and artefacts such as free-standing decorative elements and statues of various sizes. This study deals with 207 fragments of stone and stone derivatives found during the excavations carried out by the University of Malta in the southern sector of the site. Most of these fragments are, however, very small and fragmented and cannot therefore be clearly identified and studied. Twenty-two fragments can still be identified with particular sections of an architectural decorative scheme and will thus be described according to type. The remaining items are too fragmentary to offer any substantial information and will thus be listed in the seven tables attached to this chapter. One of the most important derivatives of stone is lime that was extensively used as plaster, of which 65 pieces were discovered in the course of the excavation. Finally, there are 16 stone artefacts that cannot be connected to any architectural elements, while another 64 pieces consist of stone fragments that give useful information on the working techniques (and hence the tools) used during the various phases of construction. Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/48203 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z