Site visit to Għar Dalam Park
2018-10-14 08:00 - 09:00 (Europe/Malta) | Ghar Dalam, Triq Ghar Dalam, Birzebbugia, Malta
Special morning site visit for members and families of The Archaeological Society Malta organised by Heritage Malta.
Mr David Cardona, Heritage Malta Senior curator Phoenician, Roman and medieval sites, Mr Ruben D. Abela, Manager Projects, Heritage Malta, and Mr Paul M. Portelli, Curator, Għar Dalam, will give information about the Għar Dalam Park Project and the archaeological, historical and natural features found in the area. A guided tour of the recently spruced up Park area will follow. It will take in Għar Dalam, the Ta’ Kaċċatura Roman underground cistern and the foundations of a Roman villa, and Casa Ippolito (Dar ta’ Pultu), a derelict 17th Century farmhouse in Wied Ħas-Saptan.
Meeting at 9 at Għar Dalam, rain or shine. The terrain is rough and rocky and is not recommended for those with mobility problems. It is suggested that you wear stout closed shoes. Participants will pay the normal entrance fee: €5/€3.50/€2.50.

Heritage Malta’s Phoenician, Roman and Medieval sites: a backstage preview
2018-10-24 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Mr David Cardona, Senior curator Phoenician, Roman and medieval sites, Heritage Malta.
The section of Heritage Malta’s Phoenician, Roman and Medieval sites is one of the largest curatorial sections within the Agency. Its work is to maintain the sites entrusted to it, make them accessible to present patrons and preserve them for future generations. But what work goes on behind the scenes to make this possible? This lecture is a perfect opportunity to get a glimpse of all the different facets of the curatorial role within each and every site managed by this section.
NB: The Archaeological Society Malta is a Collaborating Organization of International Archaeology Day organised by the Archaeological Institute of America. Events in October will be part of the International Archaeology Day on 20 October.

Cosmology in Archaeology
2018-11-09 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
The Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta, is organising a one day symposium on Cosmology in Archaeology. For the programme and abstracts, and to register please go to the website of the Department, using this link.

Controlling territory: the Greek fortress of San Basilio near Lentini, Sicily
2018-11-21 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Mr Italo Giordano, specialised archaeological guide, Sicily.
North of the Greek colony of Leontinoi and on the southern edge of its ancient chora, today’s Piana di Catania, rises a hilly ridge from which the hill of Colle San Basilio stands out. The most ancient human traces of the site seem to date back to the Early Bronze Age (first half of the 2nd millennium BC) and human occupation is recorded until the medieval period (XIII cent.) in alternate periods. Its major development seems to be attested during the III century BC when it became a military outpost, a phrourion, to control the vast territory of the Greek city. Inside the fortress there is a monumental hypogeal building with pillars, whose use, although not yet clarified, seems to find specific comparisons with numerous water cisterns distributed in the Mediterranean, then transformed into a church during the medieval period when the site was granted in emphyteusis to the Basilian Monks by King Roger II.

Exhibition – Core and Periphery: Mdina and Safi in the 9th and 10th centuries
2018-11-24 14:30 - 16:00 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
A special guided visit to a temporary exhibition at the National Museum of Archaeology, Republic Street, Valletta on Saturday 24 November at 2:30 pm. This has been very kindly offered by Heritage Malta to members of The Archaeological Society Malta. Mr Nathaniel Cutajar, Principal Curator (Medieval) at the National Museum of Archaeology, and archaeologist actively involved in the excavations, will be leading the visit. Entrance is free and no prior booking is required.
This exhibition is the first of a series prepared by the National Museum of Archaeology dedicated to MEDIEVAL MALTA. It presents some of the results obtained from two rescue excavations carried out in Mdina in 2008 and Safi in 2015. Both excavations yielded precious archaeological information on Malta’s Dark Ages – a period of dramatic historical change that saw the end of Byzantine domination and the arrival of the Arabs in Malta. The ceramic typology for these periods is being presented for the first time, as a way of introducing a wider discussion on the society and the economy of Malta in the 9th and 10th Centuries. In particular the exhibition focuses on the dual nature of urban versus rural life in the period.

Looking down on archaeology – flying drones over archaeological sites
2018-12-12 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Dr Ing. John Betts, Senior lecturer, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or as they are called colloquially, drones, have supported the documentation of cultural heritage and archaeology for over two decades, with their use and potential having increased dramatically in the last six years as a result of the greater accessibility to affordable off-the-shelf drones with useful capabilities. The technology behind these small but useful remote-sensing platforms, which can be used for aerial photography, survey and archaeological prospection, has facilitated the generation of image products ranging from photographic records to orthophotomosaics and 3D models, and has enhanced the capability of rapidly documenting and monitoring sensitive locations. The basic concepts defining the use of UAVs and their potential and limitations will be considered, and examples of use by the Low Altitude Remote Sensing Over Compact Sites (LARSOCS) project of the Department of Classics and Archaeology of the University of Malta will be presented.

Archaeology, archaeogenetics and identity: genetic research within the Maltese context
2019-01-16 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Mr Karl Hallett, graduate in archaeology, University of Malta.

Scratching below the surface…excavating the Phoenician shipwreck off Gozo
2019-02-20 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Prof. Timmy Gambin, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta.
After over ten years of exploring the surface of the Phoenician Shipwreck of Xlendi Bay, a team led by the University of Malta has planned and executed the world’s first archaeological excavation by divers at a depth of 110 meters. This talk covers aspects related to the logistical preparations prior to the diving, new methodologies used for scientific work at this depth as well as results that have emanated from the past two seasons of investigations.
Pic: University of Malta/J. Wood.
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Mission Impossible: the archaeology of Lampedusa in three days (episode 2) - POSTPONED TO 22 MAY - FURTHER POSTPONED TO 29 MAY
2019-03-02 18:00 - 19:30
POSTPONED TO 22 MAY. FURTHER POSTPONED TO 29 MAY.
Lecture by Prof. Anthony Bonanno, Professor, Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta and Dr Ruben Borg, senior lecturer, Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta.
In the first half of the lecture, Prof. Bonanno will take up where he left in his lecture with the same title in 2018. He will give an account of his and Dr Ruben Paul Borg’s visit to Lampedusa in July 2016 on the invitation of Diego Ratti in his indefatigable endeavour to promote the archaeology of his island. The visit consisted of surface inspection of very faint circular markings on the ground suggestive of possible prehistoric huts, as well as a preliminary assessment of claimed ‘prehistoric sculptures’ collected by the same person.
Photo credit: Diego Ratti
http://www.lopadusa.com/
abstract

St. George and al-Khidr: A Mediterranean Saint for Christians and Muslims - NEW
2019-03-13 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Dr. Erica Ferg, assistant professor of Liberal Arts at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, where she teaches courses on Islam, Christianity, Judaism, world religions, and religious studies theories and methods.
In a region of the Eastern Mediterranean known as the Levant, agricultural communities of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, for at least the last 800 years, have largely shared and jointly venerated three important holy figures: Jewish Elijah, Christian St. George, and Muslim al-Khidr. In the Eastern Mediterranean today, this veneration mainly takes place around the figures of St. George and al-Khidr, who are shared – and often conflated – between local communities of Christians and Muslims. This talk investigates the figures and the phenomenon, and offers a useful example of shared religious practices in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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Continuity and Change in regulating the Cultural Heritage Sector – the work of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage
2019-04-17 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Presentation by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. Mr Joseph Magro Conti is Superintendent of Cultural Heritage and Ms Bernardette Mercieca Spiteri is Cultural Heritage Executive at Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.
The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage was formed as a result of the Cultural Heritage Act 2002 to ensure the protection and accessibility of Malta’s cultural heritage. Since its formation the Superintendence has grown and become more efficient in addressing the challenges which have come about with a growth in the local construction industry. Recent years have also seen an increase in awareness to protect cultural heritage property and a growing interest in research in Maltese heritage both from local initiatives as well from international venues. This presentation revisits the roles of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and describes how it continues to carry out its mission to ensure protection and accessibility of the Malta’s cultural heritage, while creating changes in the way it functions to ensure it is more efficient, and also providing expertise in the different areas of cultural heritage.
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Annual General Meeting
2019-05-11 11:00 - 13:30 | Archaeology Centre, Car Park 6, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
Annual General Meeting followed by drinks and a snack. An afternoon site visit will follow.

Site visit to Ras ir-Raħeb and Kunċizzjoni
2019-05-11 14:30 - 20:00 | Bahrija Church, Triq Dun Saverin Bianco, Il-Baħrija, Malta
This will be led by Professor Nicholas Vella, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta, and Dr Keith Buhagiar, Visiting Lecturer in Palaeochristian, Byzantine & Medieval Archaeology, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta. Meeting at 2:30 on Baħrija Square by the rabbit restaurant.

Ceramics and Science: an archaeometric analysis of early Maltese pottery - POSTPONED TO 2020
2019-05-15 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Dr Catriona Brogan, Research Fellow from the School of Natural and Built Environment- Queen’s University Belfast; Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, University of Malta.

Mission Impossible: the archaeology of Lampedusa in three days (episode 2) - POSTPONED TO 29 MAY
2019-05-22 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
POSTPONED TO 29 MAY. Lecture by Prof. Anthony Bonanno, Professor, Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta and Dr Ruben Borg, senior lecturer, Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta.
In the first half of the lecture, Prof. Bonanno will take up where he left in his lecture with the same title in 2018. He will give an account of his and Dr Ruben Paul Borg’s visit to Lampedusa in July 2016 on the invitation of Diego Ratti in his indefatigable endeavour to promote the archaeology of his island. The visit consisted of surface inspection of very faint circular markings on the ground suggestive of possible prehistoric huts, as well as a preliminary assessment of claimed ‘prehistoric sculptures’ collected by the same person.
Photo credit: Diego Ratti
http://www.lopadusa.com/
abstract

Mission Impossible: the archaeology of Lampedusa in three days (episode 2)
2019-05-29 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
POSTPONED FROM 22 MAY. Lecture by Prof. Anthony Bonanno, Professor, Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta and Dr Ruben Borg, senior lecturer, Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta.
In the first half of the lecture, Prof. Bonanno will take up where he left in his lecture with the same title in 2018. He will give an account of his and Dr Ruben Paul Borg’s visit to Lampedusa in July 2016 on the invitation of Diego Ratti in his indefatigable endeavour to promote the archaeology of his island. The visit consisted of surface inspection of very faint circular markings on the ground suggestive of possible prehistoric huts, as well as a preliminary assessment of claimed ‘prehistoric sculptures’ collected by the same person.
Photo credit: Diego Ratti
http://www.lopadusa.com/
abstract

Construction frenzy or changing ideologies? The case of Tas-Silġ, Marsaxlokk
2019-10-15 18:00 - 20:00 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Presentation by Dr Maxine Anastasi (Lecturer, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta); Dr Ing. John C. Betts (Head of the Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta); and Francesco Fontanelli (Field Archaeologist for Phoenician, Roman and Medieval Sites, Heritage Malta).
Dr Maxine Anastasi and Dr Ing. John C. Betts from the Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta, and Mr Francesco Fontanelli, Heritage Malta, will be giving the first results of a new excavation project at the multi-period sanctuary site of Tas-Silġ, Marsaxlokk, arguably one of Malta’s most important archaeological sites. It preserves over four millennia of ancient construction activity, spanning the Late Neolithic period to the Early Modern era. Excavation revealed that the modern farmhouse sat directly on exciting and unexplored archaeological remains, revealing important new insights into the story of Tas-Silġ past.
NB The Archaeological Society Malta is a Collaborating Organization of International Archaeology Day organised by the Archaeological Institute of America. This event will be part of the International Archaeology Day on 19 October.
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Maritime connectivity and cross-cultural interactions between Malta and Sicily during the Late Medieval period
2019-11-20 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Dr Keith Buhagiar, Visiting Lecturer in Palaeochristian, Byzantine & Medieval Archaeology, University of Malta.
An excerpt in the 1154 Tabula Rogeriana by Al-Idrisi, published in Palermo, Sicily, mentions the medieval south-eastern Sicilian town of Scicli, its giardini (agricultural estates) engaged in fruit production and maritime links with Calabria, North Africa and Malta. This lecture will present ongoing research and will explore possible High and Late Medieval period cultural, architectural and artistic influences filtering into Malta due to its maritime connectivity with the south-east Sicilian coast. It will also attempt the identification of Scicli’s long lost Norman period harbour of Marsa Sciklah, the location of which has faded from popular memory.
Photo credit: Scicli Photo by Keith Buhagiar
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Year 0 – the Melite Civitas Romana Project
2019-12-11 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Presentation by Mr David Cardona, Senior Curator for Phoenician, Roman and Medieval Sites, Heritage Malta and Mr Robert Brown, Roman Archaeologist, Senior Ancient History Educator.
The study of Maltese Roman archaeology has always been high in the agenda of local and foreign researchers but it remained in the shadow of the more popular prehistoric research.
The remains around the Roman Domus in Mdina are a case in point. Although the importance of the site was immediately recognized upon its discovery, the level of attention and documentation offered to this site is not of the same standard offered to other sites. Zammit’s excavations at the Domus were poorly documented, with only the best artefacts kept for posterity and no record of stratigraphy. This has led to an incomplete interpretation and the impossibility for current archaeologists to challenge or confirm interpretations done almost a hundred years ago. It has become an archaeological cold case.
The Melite Civitas Romana Project has brought together a team of archaeologists and Roman specialists in the interest of gaining a better understanding of the Domus and its place in the broader archaeological environment. The project is a joint collaboration between Heritage Malta, The University of South Florida and an independent research organisation Intercontinental Archaeology.
2019 saw the start of the initial pre-excavation survey season. Dubbed Year Zero, this season saw work carried out in preparation of excavations seasons to come, and focused mainly on geophysical studies and 3D scanning. This presentation introduces the project and discusses the results of the 2019 Year Zero Season. The discussion will also indicate the direction of the project in its first field season in 2020.
Photo Credit: drone view of site (USF Idex)
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Eggstraordinary Objects: ostrich eggs as luxury items in the ancient Mediterranean - POSTPONED TO WEDNESDAY 20 JANUARY 2021
2020-01-15 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Dr Tamar Hodos, Reader in Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Bristol.

Lecture by Dr Michel Bonifay of the Aix-Marseille Université
2020-01-29 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Dr Michel Bonifay, Director of Research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Aix-en-Provence will look at the ubiquitous presence throughout the Mediterranean of pottery and amphorae produced in Africa from the 2nd to the 7th century, and will show that they are one source among others to our understanding of Roman port interconnectivity.

Industrial Archaeology: the appraisal and restoration of the historic reinforced concrete Water Tower
2020-02-19 18:00 - 19:30 | Archaeology Centre, Car Park 6, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
Lecture by Prof. Ruben P. Borg, Associate Professor, Faculty for the Built Environment, University of Malta.
The Reinforced Concrete Water Tower in Marsa, Malta was constructed in 1930s to serve the needs of the Public Abattoir and is today considered as unique Industrial Heritage in the Maltese Islands. The water tower is a 15m high structure, consisting of 12 slender columns supporting a shell structure including a 9.5m diameter tank with a domed base. A conservation strategy was proposed and implemented based on innovative technologies respecting the original fabric and structural system efficiency.
Photo: The historic reinforced concrete Water Tower, Marsa
Photo credit: Ruben P. Borg
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CANCELLED: The Jebel Moya Project: Pastoralists and Farmers in southern Sudan
2020-03-18 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
CANCELLED. Presentation by Dr Isabelle Vella Gregory, affiliate scholar at the McDonald Institute for Archaeology, University of Cambridge, and Dr Michael Brass, co-director of the University College London – University of Khartoum – NCAM Expedition to the Southern Gezira.

CANCELLED: A historiography of Maltese Catacomb study: from the sixteenth century to 1899
2020-04-15 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Ms Rebecca Xerri, graduate in archaeology, University of Malta.

CANCELLED: Annual General Meeting
2020-05-16 11:00 - 13:30 | Archaeology Centre, Car Park 6, University of Malta, Msida, Malta
Annual General Meeting followed by drinks and a snack.

CANCELLED: Ceramics and Science: an archaeometric analysis of early Maltese pottery
2020-05-20 18:00 - 19:30 | National Museum of Archaeology, Auberge de Provence, Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta, Malta
Lecture by Dr Catriona Brogan, Research Fellow from the School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast; Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, University of Malta.

Half a decade of diving the Phoenician Wreck off Xlendi - artefacts, bits and pieces with a story to tell.
2020-10-21 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Professor Timmy Gambin, Associate Professor, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta.
NB: The Archaeological Society Malta is a Collaborating Organization of International Archaeology Day organised by the Archaeological Institute of America. This event will be part of the International Archaeology Day on 17 October.
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The Jebel Moya Project: Pastoralists and Farmers in southern Sudan
2020-11-18 18:00 - 19:30
Presentation by Dr Isabelle Vella Gregory, affiliate scholar at the McDonald Institute for Archaeology, University of Cambridge, and Dr Michael Brass, co-director of the University College London – University of Khartoum – NCAM Expedition to the Southern Gezira.
Abstract

Provenance investigation of stone tools and the position of Malta in the Neolithic network of the Central Mediterranean Sea
2020-12-09 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Dr Petros Chatzimpaloglou, affiliated post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge.
Abstract

Eggstraordinary Objects: ostrich eggs as luxury items in the ancient Mediterranean
2021-01-20 18:00 - 19:30
Lecture by Dr Tamar Hodos, Reader in Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Bristol.
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