Maritime connectivity and mobility of the Maltese Islands during the Roman period : a study on loose finds in Maltese waters

Abstract

Maritime connectivity and mobility are important elements in the study of archaeology and history of any island, but most especially given Malta’s position at the crossroads of the Mediterranean. This dissertation focuses on loose finds – isolated artefacts discovered without a link to a shipwreck or other submerged archaeological site – from underwater contexts in Maltese waters with the aim of improving our understanding of maritime connectivity and mobility in the Roman period. This topic is important because until now, this data has mostly been neglected. Previous research on Malta’s maritime aspect has been focused on shipwrecks, ports, and the provenance of terrestrial artefacts. The aim of this dissertation is to remedy this by examining the quantity and type of loose finds dating to the Roman period, where these artefacts were found, exploring how loose finds can shed light on maritime connectivity, cataloguing the loose finds and mapping them out to explore whether there are any correlations between the maritime sites where loose finds are discovered and important terrestrial sites.