Benchmarks I : the archaeology of building

Abstract

At the end of the Seven Years War (1756-1763), the Notizia Augustiniana Aurea was written. The anonymous chronicler was sketching arms and escutcheons of the church and tracing the history of the Augustinian Order in Malta. The European conflict that involved most of the princes and powers was fought globally in Europe, the Americas and Asia. These conflicts were resolved through the Treaty of Paris of 1763, which brought Britain, France, Spain and Portugal into agreement to restore territories gained to the original owners. Malta was not a contended territory and remained exclusively a vassal of the Kingdom of Sicily with a strong secular and religious administration under the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John. This study considers this micro-event in the global context and integrates multiple aspects of the historical urban landscape to understand Maltese history and geography better.