The Archaeological Society Malta

Lecture: Place names & terms related to frontier terminology from the Arab conquest period, 7th-10th Century: comparative history & archaeology around the Mediterranean and the Maltese Islands
2023-05-16 18:00 (Europe/Malta)
Lecture by Fr Eugene P. Teuma OFM Conv., independent researcher.
Recording and interpreting place-names can lead us to discover new and tantalizing facts and realities from a possibly “dark” or little known period. Comparing and contrasting terms/place-names and their original meaning can throw light on a country’s past.
The Arab Conquest from Arabia to Spain and Portugal was a centuries-long advancement. The Arabs were introducing new place-names and adapting them to their “world” view. By marking frontiers (Atarf) with recognizable names they defined territory that lay within or outside their control.
Some names are: Rabat (fort on frontier), Qala (fort), Borg (fortified perimeter/ruin), Dar As-Salam (residence of peace/Islam), Medina (city), Dar ir-Rum (residence of the Greek Orthodox Christians), Dar il-Ħerb (residence of “moral” and “factual” ruin).
We find this progress (military and otherwise) enshrined in place names throughout the conquered territories including the Maltese Archipelago. In most regions only vague or isolated terms survive. Incredibly, the Maltese islands still preserve a vast array of such toponomical terms frozen in time and original context. Deciphering them may make a, presently, murky historical/archaeological picture, comprehensible.
Abstract
Photo: Monastir – Ribat

Lecture: Norwich Castle: latest developments in The Royal Palace Reborn Project
2023-04-20 18:00
Lecture by Dr Tim Pestell, Curator of Archaeology, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery.
The talk will examine this exciting £15m Lottery-funded project, which will re-establish the Norman room-spaces within this iconic building, as well as establish a permanent medieval gallery in association with the British Museum, a new front entrance, café, toilets and roof platform. This once-in-a-century transformation aims to make Norwich Castle the premier heritage attraction of the East of England.
Abstract
Photo: Norwich Castle

Lecture: Norwich Castle – POSTPONED to 20/Apr
2023-04-19 18:00
Lecture by Dr Tim Pestell, Curator of Archaeology, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery.
Postponed to Thursday 20 April 2022.
The talk will examine this exciting £15m Lottery-funded project, which will re-establish the Norman room-spaces within this iconic building, as well as establish a permanent medieval gallery in association with the British Museum, a new front entrance, café, toilets and roof platform. This once-in-a-century transformation aims to make Norwich Castle the premier heritage attraction of the East of England.
Abstract
Photo: Norwich Castle

Lecture: A late medieval synagogue at Huqoq/Yaquq in Galilee
2023-03-15 18:00
Lecture by Dr Dennis Mizzi, Senior lecturer in Hebrew and Ancient Judaism, University of Malta.
Excavations at Ḥorvat Ḥuqoq (Yaquq) in Israel’s Eastern Lower Galilee have brought to light a monumental public building that sheds new light on the history of the Jews in late medieval Palestine, about whom we know very little. We interpret this building as a late medieval synagogue—the first such synagogue to be unearthed in Israel—and argue that its construction was precipitated by the establishment of the Mamluk barīd, which passed by Yaquq, and by the tradition locating the tomb of Habakkuk at the site. In the late medieval period, Yaquq experienced a brief economic boom owing to the increasing number of travellers, including pilgrims, passing through the village. This wealth is reflected in the construction of this monumental synagogue and the discovery of a large gold and silver coin hoard to its south. In addition to serving the local community, the synagogue would have served the many pilgrims who visited Habakkuk’s tomb and nearby holy shrines.
Abstact
Photo: Late medieval building (14-15th centuries) at Huqoq, Galilee. Photograph by Jim Haberman

Lecture: Climate change and Cultural Heritage: connecting the past, present and future
2023-02-15 18:00 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Ms Sharon Sultana, Senior Curator, the National Museum of Archaeology, Malta.
Climate has always been one of the strongest forces on our planet. The past evolution of the earth has been very dynamic, with various climate modes, ice ages and interglacial periods, and has shaped the present natural and cultural environment. The emergence of Homo sapiens and the development of civilisation are inseparably entangled with the changing climate. Only in the recent past (the last 10 000 years) has humanity lived with a stable climate, which allowed humanity to develop an agricultural society, and to live together in communities with great monuments and buildings.
However, this stability is changing dramatically: the climate is again becoming unstable and changing at a greater speed, scale and intensity than anticipated by various climate models. This is considered a global existential threat to societies and our planet. How is this affecting our cultural heritage and can our cultural assets be used to spread the climate justice message through collections, buildings, and communities?
Abstract
Photo: Acropolis under snowstorm 17 February 2021

Site visit to the recently restored historic reinforced concrete water tower in Marsa - POSTPONED
2023-01-28 14:00
POSTPONED. Led by Professor Ruben Paul Borg, Associate Professor, Faculty of the Built Environment, University of Malta. This visit is open to members only. Meeting on site.

Annual General Meeting - POSTPONED
2023-01-28 11:00 | Archaeology Centre, Car Park 6, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
POSTPONED. Details to follow.

Lecture: Breaking (down) Roman pots: investigating pottery found at the Tas-Silġ sanctuary and the Żejtun villa
2023-01-18 18:00
Lecture by Ms Emma Richard-Trémeau, Research Support Officer for the CoFIPoMS project looking at Late Punic and Roman pottery in Malta, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta.
Over the past few years, pottery studies in Malta have integrated scientific methods to improve our understanding of the materials’ provenance and manufacture. These techniques have not yet been systematically applied to the numerous assemblages dating from Malta’s Late Punic and Early Roman periods. This talk examines a University of Malta-led project investigating bowls, plates, and cooking vessels from the Tas-Silġ sanctuary and the Żejtun Villa. These were classified according to their composition and features, and indications of differences in their material and manufacturing processes are emerging. The project is trying to answer whether they were fabricated in Malta or imported and how they were made.
Abstract
Photo: Late Punic-Early Roman pottery, Tas-Silġ

Lecture: Secrets Unravelled: science applied to archaeology
2022-12-14 18:00
Lecture by Mr Matthew A. Grima, Manager Diagnostic Science Laboratories (DSL), Heritage Malta.
Science has evolved so much, that nowadays, it is all done via state-of-the-art instrumentation. When applied to any material, a diverse instrumentation setup has the potential to look into the various facets that the object’s physical structure offers. This information can pinpoint provenance, manufacturing date/period, manufacturing technique, potentials of object utility, degradation phenomena, a person’s diet, age and much more! An important factor is also the provision of information that can be used for purposes of conservation treatment and subsequently long-term preservation strategies. This presentation will delve deep into the scientific philosophy, ethics, how signals are triggered for effective responses and a variety of interesting case studies that are sure to interest the audience. Current research projects will also be presented.
Abstract
Photo: A close up of micro IR analysis

Site visit to the Msida Bastion Cemetery and Historic Garden, Floriana
2022-11-26 14:00 | Msida Bastion Cemetery and Historic Garden, Floriana
Site visit at 2 pm to the Msida Bastion Cemetery and Historic Garden, Floriana, a heritage site restored and managed by Din l-Art Ħelwa. The 90-minute visit, against an entrance fee of €5 which includes coffee/tea/water with biscuits at the end, will be led by site warden Mr Paolo Ferrelli. Numbers will be limited to the first 20 paid up members who apply, no guests.

Lecture: Searching for Social Values: people-centered heritage in Malta's historic places
2022-11-17 18:00
Presentation by Mr Joshua de Giorgio, PhD candidate, University of York.
In heritage practice, assessments of tangible heritage generally conform to certain criteria to define significance. Traditionally a great emphasis is placed on the historic and aesthetic value of places and objects. From the late 1970s however, heritage practice has increasingly recognized how the significance of heritage is also fundamentally linked to the social value that communities and stakeholders derive from it. This lecture will explore these ideas, introducing the underlying concepts and frameworks that support them. Drawing on previous research at Fort Tigné and the speaker’s current research in Valletta, this lecture will present an overview of outcomes of this research and the interdisciplinary methodologies adopted.
Abstract
Photo credit: Archbishop Street, Valletta (courtesy Kappa Vision)

Lecture: After the Dig - studies from the Phoenician shipwreck
2022-10-26 18:00
Lecture by Professor Timmy Gambin, Associate Professor of Maritime Archaeology in the Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta.
NB The Archaeological Society Malta is a Long Term Collaborating Organization of International Archaeology Day organised by the Archaeological Institute of America. The October events will be part of the International Archaeology Day on 15 October.
Abstract

Site visit to the exhibition Meet the Phoenicians of Malta
2022-10-22 14:00 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Site visit to the Meet the Phoenicians of Malta exhibition at the National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta. A Phoenician stone sarcophagus excavated last year at Għajn Klieb, on the outskirts of Rabat, is one of the major attractions in this exhibition. It brings to light the results of months of painstaking studies by a multidisciplinary team researching the sarcophagus and two other tombs discovered in the area, as well as their contents. The three tombs, although inherently different, shed light on the burial rituals of the earliest Phoenicians on the island.
There is no charge to the general public.
The visit will be led by Mr David Cardona, Senior Curator, Phoenician, Roman and Medieval Sites, Heritage Malta. Mr Cardona will also take members round the Phoenician and Punic section on the top floor of the museum. The museum authorities have very kindly waived the fee for entrance to the galleries.
Meeting at 2pm inside the museum. This visit is open to members only.
NB The Archaeological Society Malta is a Long Term Collaborating Organization of International Archaeology Day organised by the Archaeological Institute of America. The October events will be part of the International Archaeology Day on 15 October.

An update on the recent activity of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage
2022-05-28 08:45 - 13:00 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Seminar organised by The Archaeological Society Malta with three presentations to be given by officials of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. Ms Sharon Sultana, Senior Curator at the National Museum of Archaeology, has very kindly waived all fees due.
This is an in person event but circumstances may change.
Speakers:
Mr Kevin Borda, Head of Unit – National Inventory, Research and Archaeology Unit
Title: The SCH National Inventory, Research and Archaeology Unit
Ms Bernardette Mercieca-Spiteri, Senior Executive – Archaeology Investigation Team within the National Inventory, Research and Archaeology Unit
Title: Archaeological excavations carried out by the SCH during 2019-2021
Mr Paolo Spadaro, Executive Officer – Archaeology Investigation Team within the National Inventory, Research and Archaeology Unit
Title: Two Punic-Roman sites from Rabat, recently excavated by the SCH.
To secure your place please write to secretary@archsoc.org.mt
Photo: Superintendence of Cultural Heritage

Landscapes of death and commemoration: preliminary results and ongoing works
2022-05-18 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Mr David Cardona, Senior Curator for Phoenician, Roman and Medieval Sites, Heritage Malta.
Malta is strewn with rock-cut, underground burials dug and used for approximately a thousand years during the Islands’ occupation by Phoenician, Punic, Roman and Byzantine powers. These have been the pillar of various studies but very few managed to look at the data from tombs of different periods in a holistic manner. This has resulted in the different periods of sepulchral archaeology being studied in almost complete isolation from one another. This study aims to investigate the vast corpus of data available on the island to try and recognise clusters that may identify actual cemeteries in the various phases being studied, and trace, whenever possible, the evolutionary development traits within the same tombs and cemeteries. This includes the close relationships with the area immediately above the tombs and catacombs as an important part in the cemetery’s story. Thus, this work also seeks to investigate the relationships between tombs and cemeteries with other features like quarries, roads and cart ruts.
abstract

Guided visit to the Phoenician Shipwreck Project
2022-05-14 14:00 - 16:00 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Professor Timmy Gambin, Associate Professor in Maritime Archaeology, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta, has very kindly offered to guide a visit to the Phoenician Shipwreck Project exhibition at the National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta. Professor Gambin has been Project Director since 2007. Members will also have the opportunity to watch the 360 Experience at the museum.
Ms Sharon Sultana, Senior Curator at the National Museum of Archaeology, has very kindly waived the entrance fee.
THIS EVENT IS OPEN TO PAID UP MEMBERS ONLY. NUMBERS ARE LIMITED. TO SECURE YOUR PLACE PLEASE APPLY ON THIS EMAIL ADDRESS ASAP.

Borġ in-Nadur: a 100 years on
2022-04-20 18:00 - 19:30
Presentation by Ms Katya Stroud, Senior Curator Prehistoric Sites, Heritage Malta and Dr Josef Caruana, Curator Prehistoric Sites, Heritage Malta.

POSTPONED TO 28 MAY - Morning seminar
2022-03-26 00:00
Speakers from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

Open-firing: a practice-based approach to understanding prehistoric firing technologies
2022-03-16 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Dr Tim Willey, experimental archaeologist, researcher and visiting university lecturer.
Undoubtedly, the earliest ceramics were open fired – that is, fired without the aid of any heat-retaining structure. However Archaeological evidence of pre-historic open-firing is rare, as the practice was transitory and left very little trace. To the experimental archaeologist, open-firing raises the fascinating but often problematic question of how pots can survive the characteristic dramatic temperature rise without simply blowing apart? Through several experimental firings and using a developing range of clay-body formulations, it is demonstrated that the established convention of adding tempering materials to a locally-sourced clay is only part of the solution. Far more important, is to consider the minerology, particle size and particle distribution of the body as a whole. The resultant, clay-body formulations show that successful firings can be consistently achieved in well under thirty minutes, an outcome which has both practical and theoretical implications for future investigations and for furthering our understanding of pre-historic firing technology.
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POSTPONED - Archaeology in the Birkirkara region: structures and artefacts
2022-02-16 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Fr. Eugene P. Teuma OFM Conv., an independent researcher.

Annual General Meeting
2022-01-29 11:00 - 12:30

The transformation of antiquities and the making of historical monuments in early modern Malta
2022-01-19 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Mr Jonathan Borg, Head of Unit (Heritage Planning Consultations) at the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
Ancient objects transform gradually into historic monuments as they are systematically reused, appropriated, moved around and reworked in explicit attempts to create memory and preserve identity through the testimony of material culture. This paper is concerned with the ways this process of change manifested itself in the Maltese Islands between the late 16th century and the early 20th century. The Maltese Islands present an intriguing case study to observe this phenomenon in view of the islands’ particular geographical and cultural context. This metamorphosis of antiquities is investigated by adopting a wide chronological and an archaeological framework to map the trajectories of a number of ancient objects. The ‘afterlife’ biography of these objects is traced through primary and secondary sources – textual and visual – in order to understand how ancient objects got transformed and displayed in new contexts. These biographies are couched in an understanding of the local culture of antiquarianism and embedded within the wider European ‘discovery’ of historic monuments in order to contextualise this process of the archaeological imagination of ancient monuments and the reuse of antiquities.
abstract

Looking at old pots with fresh eyes: revisiting the pottery from the 1960s excavation at Ras ir-Raħeb (Malta)
2021-12-15 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Dr Maxine Anastasi, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta.
Between 1960 and 1961, several crates of pottery and other finds were collected during the excavation of the remote site of Ras ir-Raħeb (Malta). A provisional survey of the pottery concluded the material was mostly Punic in date, but it was the figurative and artistic finds—namely the intricate clay masks, carved ivory plaque, and terracotta figurines—that attracted the most attention, as well as the confidence in dating the site’s primary occupation to the Punic period, and determining a ritual function likely dedicated to the Phoenician god Melqart. Although these initial conclusions remain predominantly unchanged, recent analysis of the pottery has offered some new insights into the chronology and overall nature of the site. The aim of this talk is to present these new findings, and explain them within the context of the early 1960s excavation, as well as the seminal studies that followed.
abstract

CANCELLED - Afternoon site visit
2021-11-27 14:00 - 15:30
Location to be confirmed.

‘Flying high in an unfriendly sky’: How aviation changed Malta for good during the Second World War
2021-11-17 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Mr Anthony Burgess, guest lecturer in Maritime Archaeology at the University of Malta.
The impact of aviation on Malta can be seen in many ways, from the obvious such as airports and anti-aircraft sites, to the less obvious or even invisible. In this presentation Mr Burgess will look at a number of ways in which aviation manifested itself in Malta, such as the airfields, air raid shelters and anti-aircraft sites, charting how they changed during the war, warping the physical landscape as they did so. Such dramatic effects to the physical landscape also affected the mental landscape for all those involved too, their minds attuned to the sounds and sights associated with the airscape unfolding above their heads. The end result is an island archipelago that is saturated with its effects, effects that continue to shape its physical and mental landscape today.
abstract

CANCELLED - Visit to Msida Bastion Cemetery and Historic Garden
2021-10-30 14:00 - 15:30
Site visit at 2 pm to the Msida Bastion Cemetery and Historic Garden, a heritage site restored and managed by Din l-Art Ħelwa. The 90-minute visit, against an entrance fee of €5 which includes coffee/tea/water with biscuits at the end, will be led by site warden Mr Paolo Ferrelli. Numbers will be limited to the first 20 fully vaccinated paid up members who apply, no guests. More details to follow.
NB The Archaeological Society Malta is a Collaborating Organization of International Archaeology Day organised by the Archaeological Institute of America. The October events will be part of the International Archaeology Day on 16 October.

Putting the stone back in the Stone Age: new research on the end of the Maltese Temple Period
2021-10-20 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Dr Huw S. Groucutt, Max Planck Independent Research Group leader in Jena, Germany.
After existing for over one thousand years, the Maltese Temple Period ended around 4,300 years ago. Understanding why has been a topic of considerable interest and debate. In this talk Dr Groucutt will discuss this topic, outlining recent research on themes such as regional climate change and evidence for the arrival of new groups of humans. Chronological modelling studies are presented which indicate a correlation between archaeological activity and regional climate, which indicate a long-term societal decline in the final centuries of the Temple Period. Yet, does climate change alone explain the end of the Temple Period, or was something else involved, such as new groups of humans arriving, perhaps bringing a plague epidemic with them? Against this backdrop Dr Groucutt will outline recent research on the distribution and character of Maltese chert. Chert was the main kind of stone used to make stone tools in Maltese prehistory, and is therefore crucial to understanding ancient Maltese society, yet it has seen relatively little study. New insights on the distribution and character of chert in Malta are discussed. This offers new perspectives on the character of Temple Period material culture, and the extent to which the Maltese islands were isolated or integrated with neighbouring regions such as Sicily.
NB The Archaeological Society Malta is a Collaborating Organization of International Archaeology Day organised by the Archaeological Institute of America. The October events will be part of the International Archaeology Day on 16 October.

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Annual General Meeting - POSTPONED
2021-05-29 11:00 - 12:30
Details to be announced closer to the date.

The contribution of Francis S. Mallia (1921-1988) to Maltese archaeological practice
2021-05-19 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Mr Nico Muscat, Masters graduate in Archaeology, University of Malta.

Photo: Francis Mallia in 1963 excavating Għar il-Friefet.
Part of the University of Malta/ F. Mallia collection.
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A historiography of Maltese catacomb study: from the sixteenth century to 1899
2021-04-21 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Ms Rebecca Xerri, graduate in Archaeology, University of Malta.

Photo: St. Paul’s catacombs, Rabat – Malta.
Uncover Malta, 2019.
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