The Maltese Islands between Isolation and Interconnections: An Architectural Perspective

This article examines the Maltese Archipelago’s role in the Mediterranean during Pre-Roman times, with particular attention to the 4th and 3rd cent. BCE and a special focus on the Tas-Silġ Sanctuary. Although some scholars consider the Maltese Archipelago to have been a marginal part of the eparchy in the Punic/Hellenistic period, recent analyses show the cultural vitality and complexity of that phase, with the appearance of innovations in a context that more typically absorbed infl uences from elsewhere, in addition to possessing distinctive local features. The architectural styles, especially in the Tas-Silġ sanctuary, point to connections with the nearby Sicilian area and Egyptian infl uences, but also possess features that lack clear parallels. Together with its prehistoric forebears and local peculiarities, Malta’s multiplicity of cultural traditions refl ects the religious identity of the sanctuary and those who frequented it: there was an evident ‘international’ vocation. The Maltese Archipelago is located at the boundaries of different cultures; this marginality – or isolation – was, in fact, a source of dynamism, resulting in exposure to diverse infl uences. Although widespread trends were followed, Malta created signifi cant cultural innovations in the western Mediterranean. Given the lack of knowledge about 4th and 3rd cent. BCE Punic religious architecture, this information from Malta helps us to understand the religious beliefs and cultural networks of the Mediterranean islands before the confl ict between Rome and Carthage.