Re-inventing Malta's neolithic temples: contemporary interpretations and agendas

Abstract

This paper explores the different ways in which Malta’s neolithic temples have been interpreted, contested and appropriated by different local and foreign interest groups: those working in the tourist industry, intellectuals and Maltese nationalists, hunters, archaeologists, artists, and participants in the global Goddess movement. The different perspectives are set against “traditional” popular interpretations of the temples. A particular focus of enquiry is the Maltese response to the foreign Goddess pilgrims who have been visiting the sites in increasing numbers over the last decade: do Maltese feel their past is being appropriated, colonized, or commoditized by these visitors? The paper argues that all interpretations or “inventions” of Malta’s neolithic past, whether competing or colluding, can be seen to be governed by the particular social, political, religious or economic agendas of their creators.