Roman Malta: architecture and archaeology

Abstract

The Maltese islands, famed for their Neolithic temples, are not well known for their Roman antiquities. After pioneering work by the polymath Sir Themistocles Zammit in the early decades of the 20th c., the baton was picked up again by Anthony Bonanno, who singlehandedly has greatly advanced knowledge of Roman Malta over the past 50 years through copious influential papers in journals and conference proceedings, as well as in two books. Monographs by others have been dedicated to such subjects as the Roman economy of the Maltese islands, and Roman pottery from Malta and Gozo, both local products and imports. Until now, however, there has been no single volume devoted exclusively to the Roman structures that have been excavated or recorded (and in some cases survive), nor to the disiecta membra of many others, which have in the past been largely ignored. Awarm welcome, therefore, to this handsome volume, which is magnificently illustrated in color throughout, apart of course from historical images that have been taken from the archives. The color photographs are by Daniel Cilia, who has made major contributions to Maltese archaeology in other publications over the years. His stunning aerial views in this book of the villa at Ta’ Kaċċatura (46) and of the temples at Ras ir-Raħeb (48) and Tas-Silġ (202–3) are a particular feast for the eye.