The stratigraphy

Abstract

The excavation project carried out by the University of Malta was designed with the following aims: 1. to understand the formation of the terrace, in particular the promontory located towards the centre of the site, with the aim of establishing a stratigraphic sequence and a pottery typology to go with it; 2. to assess the evidence for activity in the lower field to the south of the terrace; 3. to understand the nature of the depositional processes that created the "dumps" (scarichi) identified by previous excavators in various tracts within the southern enclosure of the site (see section 1.2.1 above), and to supply a definition of these "dumps", especially their ritual nature; 4. to attempt a reconstruction of the economic and environmental history of the island for the time that the southern part of the site was in use. With these aims in mind, four areas were selected for excavation in 1996, three on the upper field and one in the lower field. The trenches were aligned with a 10 x 10 m grid laid out on site by a team of surveyors from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority who also set up several benchmarks within the site boundary.