Editorial : Byzantine Gozo [Gozo Observer, 37]

Abstract

A large part of our history seems to have gone blank from the public gaze. We seem to have forgotten almost completely that Malta was under the rule of the Greeks from Constantinople for nearly four centuries (from 535 - 870), a stretch of time longer than under any other power since the Roman empire. Recent research, summarised by Prof Stanley Fiorini in a recently published monograph (The Gozo Cathedral: Its History and Treasures, 2017, edited by Joseph Bezzina), features new findings which highlights Gozo’s Greek-oriented historical experience. While the history of Gozo mirrors and runs parallel to that of the sister island, there have been several instances where this was not the case, evidence which comes out clearly from this study which could explain why orthodox influences were stronger and more lasting in Gozo compared to Malta.