Extraordinary details unveiling the history of Malta
An overview of the different phases in Maltese prehistory and their respective characteristics
Megalithic block with spiral decorationNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
Over the last century there were numerous studies outlining the various phases of the Neolithic Period. Most of these phases were established through the analysis of decorations of vessels.
Prior to the time that scientific analysis on materials was used to help with dating the excavated artefacts, archaeologists used pottery as a means of identification.
Tarxien Temples ExcavationsNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
They relied mainly on the decorations of the vessels, using as the main identification their decoration. Fabric type and texture were also taken into consideration.
Phases
The Neolithic Period is made up of a number of phases ranging from 5200BC until 700BC
Sherd with Zig-Zag Incisions (-5000/-4500)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The earliest pottery discovered in Malta dates to the Għar Dalam phase (5200-4500 BC).
The fine ware is grey or dark brown in colour and has incised rows and some chevrons, some of which still have white inlay in the incisions.
The thicker ware has less refined incisions or simple finger pinching marks.
Partly Reconstructed Ladle (-4400/-4100)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The pottery from the next phase of Skorba is distinguishable in two varieties.
Grey Skorba (4500-4400 BC) which as the name implies is grey and mainly undecorated and the Red Skorba (4400-4100 BC) which is covered in a brilliant red slip.
The decoration during this phase is generally in the form of C or S incisions.
Incised Sherd (-4100/-3700)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The first schematic anthropomorphic decorations on pottery date to the Żebbuġ phase (4100-3700 BC). These figures are rendered by means of linear incisions.
Other decorations are mostly arc shaped and are either incised in the pottery or else painted in red lines on a cream slip.
Mgarr SherdNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The Mġarr phase (3800-3600 BC) potter does not seem to have favoured the painted decoration as his predecessor.
The decorations on the pottery are mostly linear with thin scratches giving the impression of fringes.
Some of these incisions are filled with white inlay and sometimes bearing traces of red ochre on top.
Sherd of Large Vase (-3800/-2500)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The Ġgantija phase (3600 – 3200 BC) pottery decoration is similar to the Mġarr phase designs.
They are distinctive in their cross-hatching and lightly scratched lines. It is very probable that these lines were made only to provide a base for the red ochre to adhere to.
Saflieni Phase Plate Bottom (-5000/-700)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The Salfieni phase (3300-3000BC) is characterised by a new decorative motif curved double lines, with vertical lines in between.
Saflieni Phase Plate (-5000/-700)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
One of the most outstanding decorations on pottery dates from this period, where a plate is decorated with scratched representations of quadrupeds, of which some are bulls.
Saflieni Phase Plate Bottom (-5000/-700)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
These scratches lines were filled with white paste then covered with red ochre.
BowlNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The final phase in the Temple period is the Tarxien phase (3150-2500 BC) which extended its decoration onto architectural stone.
The decoration on the pottery seems to be mostly a continuation of the previous phase but in a lighter manner.
Tarxien Temples Bronze Age artefactsNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
Even though found on the same site of Tarxien temples, the Bronze Age artefacts recovered from this site is completely different to the Tarxien phase one.
Askos (-2400/-1500)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
These Tarxien Cemetery artefacts (2400-1500 BC) are heavily decorated and most of the vessels are covered in parallel zigzag bands and cross hatchings.
Bronze Age Artefact - fragment (-1500/-1000)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The Borg in-Nadur (1500-700 BC) pottery is not as decorated as the ones from Tarxien Cemetery.
One distinctive pattern that emerges during this phase is red or dark brown painted dots in the inner parts of the vessels, usually with a thick band round the rim.
Bronze Age Bowl side (-900/-800)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The Bahrija phase (900-700 BC) ware is also very singular.
Bronze Age Bowl bottom (-900/-800)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
These are decorated with delicate incised square meanders. Such incisions are very similar to those on artefacts excavated from Calabria, South West Italy.
Decorations
Throughout the ages, the decorations extended to artefacts other than pottery, namely carved statues and temple architecture.
Tarxien altar blockNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
Tarxien Temples, being the latest of these megalithic structures, boasts the highest amount and most intricate of thee decorative designs.
Photo Tarxien Temples excavationsNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The original decorated stone megaliths from this temple were brought in the museum in the 1960s for conservation purposes.
Pitted MegalithNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
Although nowadays the stones are mainly decorated with spirals, there is enough evidence to show that the stones were originally decorated with pitted holes.
South Temple - InsideThe Hagar Qim Archaeological Park
There are instances where one can still see these pitted decorations in parts of the stones. Such holes could have been made with bone points.
Tarxien Screen SlabsNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
The spiral decorations on the stones come in a variety of designs and all are unique. Some of the stone have a border around the spirals that makes the reliefs even more prominent.
Pointed Bone (-3800/-2500)National Museum of Archaeology, Malta
It is pertinent to note that all the decorations would have been carved with the primitive non metallic tools available they had at that time, namely bone points, flint, chert or other stone tools.
Tarxien Temples ExcavationsNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
It seems that the stones were decorated in situ.
Tarxien Temples - ExcavationsNational Museum of Archaeology, Malta
As the accompanying image shows, the stone on the left hand side seems to have been put in place against the stone on the right.
The decoration on this latter stone contours the adjoining stone and the rest is undecorated.
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