/library/oar/handle/123456789/6021 2025-12-26T21:36:58Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/142239 Title: The use of raw earth in the Late Neolithic (3800-2350 BCE) and Early Bronze Age (2350-1500 BCE) funerary contexts in the Maltese Islands / L’usage de la terre crue dans les contextes funéraires maltais au Néolithique final (3800-2350 av. n. è.) et au Bronze ancien (2350-1500 av. n. è.) Authors: Bonanno, Anthony Abstract: This is the first discussion ever on the subject of earthen architecture in funerary context in the Maltese Islands between the Late Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age in spite of the scanty evidence of such use in the respective archaeological record. Two separate and contrasting situations characterise these two episodes of Maltese prehistory with respect to funerary ritual. The Late Neolithic (3800-2350 BCE) has left us two major subterranean cemeteries for collective inhumation: one cut in a relatively soft rock, the other one making use of a naturally formed system of underground caves. In both cases raw earth was utilized to cover primary and secondary burials. Around 2350 BCE this extraordinary culture is replaced by a new Bronze Age culture characterised by the disposal of the dead through cremation. The matrix for the cremated human remains now consists of a thick layer of dark ashy earth. This paper discusses the different raw earth matrices and any possible hints of other raw earth uses, including clay figurines. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/142035 Title: The role of marine resources at Latnija (Malta) and the Mesolithic to Neolithic transition in the Central Mediterranean Abstract: Recent archaeological excavations at the Latnija cave site, led by the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (Germany) and the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta, have revealed a significant prehistoric sequence marked by the consumption of wild animals and marine resources in the earlier, Mesolithic phase and subsequently by agropastoral societies. This dissertation presents a comprehensive zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of the marine faunal remains, aiming to provide new insights into the lifeways and diets of Malta’s earliest inhabitants. The post-excavation processes of flotation and micro-sieving, uncovered minute and often overlooked marine remains. These techniques allowed for the reconstruction of a more detailed picture of this ancient subsistence economy by revealing evidence of fishing practices, species diversity, and the seasonal exploitation of marine resources. This study confirms that the marine faunal assemblage was the result of a cultural accumulation. The evidence indicates that the first Mesolithic colonisers of the Maltese islands were skilled anglers with a sound understanding of the local environment and ecology. Offshore fishing, possibly involving boats or canoes, cannot be ruled out. Evidence from other Central Mediterranean sites like Corsica, Sardinia, southern Italy, and Sicily, reveals a consistent exploitation of marine resources across the Mesolithic and Early Neolithic periods. At Latnija, marine species were exploited throughout all phases, with a similar marked intensification in fishing during the final Mesolithic, reflecting a cultural affinity towards the sea. Marine resources not only complemented the island's endemic wild fauna as part of a sustainable subsistence strategy, but also possibly served utilitarian, decorative, and functional purposes. The evidence supports the notion that the seascape of the Central Mediterranean functioned as a conduit for interaction and allows us to move beyond our understanding of the Maltese Neolithic and sheds light on the paleo-diets of the local pre-Temple Period. Description: M.A.(Melit.) 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/141061 Title: uBlueTec - training framework on underwater tecs as key enabler for blue careers development Authors: Ferreira, Fausto; Baika, Kalliopi; Anbar, Jafar; Gatt, Judith; Ioannidis, Themistoklis; Silion, Madalin; Barbieri, Loris; Nunes, Cátia; Lenarduzzi, Wendy; Padovan, Roberta Abstract: While Blue Economy remains a fundamental sector in many world economies, its needs and impacts require specialized skills. For the sustainability of blue economy sectors, both technical skills (blue and digital) and green skills are needed. Identifying a skills gap, the uBlueTec project aims to set up, test and validate a triple transition training and skills development model (green, blue, digital skills). Through a durable partnerships among universities, VET providers, clusters and Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs), the project will developed curricula and implement pilots both for VET and Higher Education levels. The article describes the skills gaps analysis and preliminary work on the curricula. 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/141058 Title: Revisiting the construction techniques of harbour structures in classical and Hellenistic Cyprus, 480-31 BC Authors: Gatt, Judith Abstract: This short report presents a preliminary study of harbour structures in Classical and Hellenistic Cyprus, 480–31 BC. Previous research on the island has already compiled a rich corpus of information on the subject (e.g., Raban, 1995; Leonard, 2005; Theodoulou, 2006; Empereur et al., 2017). Despite these considerable efforts, the construction techniques of harbours have been constantly examined through the interpretative framework of the Phoenician and Greek traditions (Raban, 1995; Marangou, 1997; Theodoulou, 2006). While acknowledging its limitations, this study attempts to objectively characterize the construction techniques identified in Cyprus through the case study of Amathus, a submerged Hellenistic harbour on the south coast. 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z