Exploring connectivity in the central Mediterranean in prehistory : the case of foreign imports in Malta

Abstract

Up until recently, islands were all too often viewed as isolated microcosms at the mercy of their harsh geographic reality. Despite this, the discovery of exotic materials hailing from distant places act as ideal indicators of contact in prehistory. Using the sea to their advantage, these naturally bounded entities both allowed their inhabitants to amalgamate themselves with a broader network of relationships, whilst providing them with an opportunity to develop unique cultural traits. It is for this reason that discussions concerning connectivity often pertain to islands and island cultures, although such discourses often focus on its archaeological indicators and object diasporas, forgetting that connectivity is ultimately a product of social action. Lying at the core of the Mediterranean Sea are the Maltese Islands, whose prehistoric past, characterized by idiosyncratic ritual practices set within architectural marvels, has eluded scholars for centuries, leading them to believe that their geographic condition led to the development of inimitable cultural traits. Despite this, available archaeological evidence illustrates how the islands were not entirely isolated, as attested to through the discovery of materials and objects known to hail from distant sources. Within this framework, this dissertation sought to approach connectivity from a different perspective, by shedding light on the social and economic motives which encouraged the Maltese Islands’ prehistoric inhabitants to remain incorporated within a wider network of foreign relations. To achieve this, it was imperative to study the imported objects within the context from which they were discovered. Due to the fact that the actual findspot of a large number of the objects was unavailable for study, the objects were studied in relation to the context type, of which three were identified locally: temple, tomb and hut. The spring board for this study was the compilation of an exhaustive catalogue of imports, which was organized in a manner so as to allow for the volume of collected data to be analysed, which involved the application of statistical and spatial analysis methods aimed at identifying otherwise latent patterns within the data. With the aid of ethnographic accounts and archaeological parallels, a number of interpretations were subsequently made. Such interpretations demonstrated how the imported objects may have served to discriminate between individuals of different social hierarchies based on religious knowledge and their ability to procure exotic materials, whilst playing a crucial role in consolidating group identities by being used during ritual performances and secular activities, ultimately exhibiting how connectivity with the outside world was often controlled during different periods of Malta’s prehistory.