Some reflections on Malta in the Phoenician world

Abstract

The Phoenician presence in Malta belongs to the most ancient phase of Phoenician colonization, namely in the second half of the eighth century B.C. It appears to be the result of Phoenician navigation from the East to the West along the 'way of the sun'. Moreover, the Phoenicians used native settlements in Malta, both in the interior of the island, as can be seen from the concentration of tombs in the Rabat-Mdina zone, and on the coast, as is demonstrated by the Italian discoveries at Tas-Silg where a Phoenician cult succeeds the prehistoric one. There are numerous and specific connections between Malta and the East in the pottery, in the crafts, in the writing and in the language. On the contrary, there do not seem to be specific connections with Carthage nor with Punic Sicily. Evidently, Malta soon found itself outside the main route that linked these areas, and was less exposed to the course of history.