In 2010 a magnetometer survey was conducted off the north-eastern coast of Malta, concentrating on Mellieħa and Salina bays. The aim was to identify potential target anomalies along the shoreline, with areas of interest marked in both bays. Ground-truthing surveys conducted by divers in Mellieħa Bay in 2011 and 2012 confirmed the presence of scattered cultural remains, and allowed for the re-identification of the so-called ‘Mortar Wreck’ site, first excavated by Honor Frost in 1967. A follow-up magnetometer survey was conducted in 2014 within the context of the University of Malta underwater field school, and consequently resulted in the exclusion of Salina Bay for further survey. The 2014 survey concentrated on Mellieħa bay and sought to further positively identify or reject potential anomalies first documented in the 2010 survey. The 2014 survey results revealed the possibility of substantial target anomalies within the bay.

Malta Archaeological Review 2021, issue 12, https://doi.org/10.46651/mar.2021.7
Received: 16 February 2021 | Accepted: 9 June 2021 | Published online: 6 October 2021

The post A report on the magnetometer survey results off the north-eastern coast of Malta 2010-2014: Mellieħa Bay, Salina Bay, and St Paul’s Bay appeared first on The Archaeological Society Malta.

Highlights from the years 2014-2020.

Malta Archaeological Review 2021, issue 12, https://doi.org/10.46651/mar.2021.6

The post Society Activities 2014-2020 appeared first on The Archaeological Society Malta.

Epigraphic and other evidence would seem to underscore the popularity Julia Domna enjoyed amongst the Gozitans as much as she did amongst other communities in the Roman Empire. Her motherhood – both real and metaphorical – did not only play an important role in securing her subjects’ loyalty but was also crucial for the promotion of the imperial family’s dynasty. In this respect, dedications to her and to other members of her family might feature on one and the same monument, as might have been the case concerning one such presumed, partially-surviving monument from Gozo.

Malta Archaeological Review 2021, issue 12, https://doi.org/10.46651/mar.2021.5
Received: 2 February 2020 | Published online: 25 January 2021

The post Julia Domna, her maternal ideology and the Municipium of Gozo appeared first on The Archaeological Society Malta.

The Early Neolithic of the Maltese Islands is mostly known for its ceramics, with more substantial remains in the Skorba phase. However, the ceramics provide insight into communities. This paper traces the making of pots in the Early Neolithic, focusing on how a study of technology is also a study of people and their practices. In particular, it shows how an examination of tools used to decorate pottery reveals social and technological choices by local inhabitants.

Malta Archaeological Review 2021, issue 12, https://doi.org/10.46651/mar.2021.4
Received: 8 September 2020 | Published online: 25 January 2021

The post Ceramic production techniques and decorative motifs in the Early Neolithic of the Maltese Islands appeared first on The Archaeological Society Malta.

This report focuses on the Mellieħa Bay wreck, a third-century Roman shipwreck first investigated by Honor Frost in the late 1960s. In 2013 and 2014 field schools organised by the University of Malta with the support of the Honor Frost Foundation sought to uncover what remained of the wreck, including any material culture still present. It also sought to investigate the site formation processes. A magnetometer survey revealed the location of a number of target anomalies. It could be determined that the wreck area is highly dynamic, with the scattered nature of the finds reflecting a high-energy zone, which periodically exposed the objects on the seabed. Between 2013 and 2014 it was noted that material remains were re-deposited in the wreck area over the winter months. The growth of Poseidonia oceanica eventually stabilised the site, and the location of recovered finds at the bottom of Poseidonia mattes points towards the high potential of material evidence still located within or under the mattes, as revealed in the magnetometer survey. The recovered material culture points towards a culturally homogenous site with all objects dating to the third century AD.

Malta Archaeological Review 2021, issue 12, https://doi.org/10.46651/mar.2021.3
Received: 3 June 2020 | Published online: 25 January 2021

The post Revisiting the Mellieħa Bay Wreck: A report on two seasons of survey and excavation (2013-2014) appeared first on The Archaeological Society Malta.

C. Sagona 2015. The Archaeology of Malta: from the Neolithic through the Roman period. (xix +449pp.), illustrated. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-006699-0 (hardback £84.99, US$135)

Malta Archaeological Review 2021, issue 12, https://doi.org/10.46651/mar.2021.1
Received: 29 October 2016 | Published online: 25 January 2021

The post C. Sagona 2015. The Archaeology of Malta: from the Neolithic through the Roman period. (xix +449pp.) appeared first on The Archaeological Society Malta.

D. Tanasi and D. Cardona, eds, 2020. The Maltese Archipelago at the Dawn of History: Reassessment of the 1909 and 1959 excavations at Qlejgħa tal-Baħrija and other essays. (188 pp.), illustrated. Oxford: Archaeopress. ISBN 9781789694932 (print)/ ISBN 9781789694949 (epublication) (Paperback £35.00)

Malta Archaeological Review 2021, issue 12, https://doi.org/10.46651/mar.2021.2
Received: 16 June 2020 | Published online: 25 January 2021

The post D. Tanasi and D. Cardona, eds, 2020. The Maltese Archipelago at the Dawn of History: Reassessment of the 1909 and 1959 excavations at Qlejgħa tal-Baħrija and other essays. (188 pp.) appeared first on The Archaeological Society Malta.