Hydrogeology and its influence on the dynamics of settlement and agriculture in the south of Malta : AD 1000 to 1600

Abstract

Hydrogeology is the branch of geology involving the detection of surface or subsurface water deposits in a given landscape. This paper seeks to contextualise principal differences in hydrogeology, settlement location, typology and agriculture between the northern and southern sectors of Malta between AD 1000 and the early 1600s. In northern and north-western Malta, settlement and cultivation was predominantly located in a series of carefully selected river-carved valleys which provided shelter and easy access to perched aquifer deposits. An entirely different geological stratification makes Malta's southern and central plains more water deficient, making settlement and agriculture a more challenging ordeal, especially in the absence of rainfall. Recent field and archival research has brought to the fore the resourcefulness and resilience of the medieval period inhabitants of Malta's southern plains and their ability to detect a series of localised water-bearing strata in an otherwise semi-arid landscape. Research is ongoing, but preliminary data indicates a closely-knit association between hydrogeology, medieval period settlement location and agriculture-related infrastructure.