An investigation of the Phoenician, Punic and Roman tomb distribution in Malta using spatial analysis

Abstract

Shaft-and-chamber tombs make up a significant portion of the archaeological landscape of Maltese antiquity. While archaeologists have maintained a high level of interest in such sites over the past four decades, the implication of their island-wide distribution remains contested. Expanding on the previous work of researchers, the shifting distribution of these tombs across the Maltese Phoenician, Punic and Roman periods was reconsidered using a geomatics-based approach. By performing cluster analysis in a Geographic Information System (GIS), new insights into the burial and habitation patterns of Malta’s ancient population have been gained. Density-based clustering features a central role in the analysis and allows for the integration of disparate tombs into well-clustered necropoleis. Based on the working hypothesis that these burial sites are representative of nearby ancient habitation, interpretation of the results followed. This research found that the spatial patterning of tombs across the Maltese landscape was unlikely to be entirely independent of habitation patterns. The evidence obtained supported the presence of two nucleated settlements and a number of well clustered habitation sites, each with their own properties. It also identified possible sequences for the evolution of different clusters across the period being studied as well as a possible connecting route between the two main settlement sites.