Light and Dark in Prehistoric Malta

Abstract

The Maltese islands offer an unusual opportunity for the analysis of the interplay of light and dark in a prehistoric context. The potential is provided by the excellent preservation of the architectural monuments which permit the framing of different scenarios of light and dark, tempered by the need to reconstruct tentatively some missing elements such as the roofs. A number of features, such as the intense sunshine and the dramatic storms, have probably remained reasonably constant since prehistory although the modern pluvial patterns may have only developed from about 2200 bc. Other components such as sources of artificial light require archaeological information for their reconstruction. The most difficult task, however, is to understand the reception of light and dark by the prehistoric communities; but the detailed evidence that survives has offered the best possible chance to achieve this objective.

Neolithic Ritual on the Island Archipelago of Malta

“…The southern European latitude of the islands, nested between continental Europe and continental Africa, has consistently offered long growing seasons, as well as evocative light on land and water alike, characteristics that impressed individuals in the more modern world such as Samuel Coleridge and Edward Lear. These evocative sources of light and dark also undoubtedly impressed the prehistoric people (Stoddart et al 2020a), particularly when accompanied by violent storms and substantial runoff into the small, intimate, and periodically violent, catchments of the islands.…”

Placing and remembering the dead in late Neolithic Malta: bioarchaeological and spatial analysis of the Xagħra Circle Hypogeum, Gozo

“…While the original extent is uncertain, layers of roof collapse uncovered during excavation were used as a guide. The role of light and dark in funerary and ritual spaces has been widely discussed (Skeates 2016;Whitehouse 1992), and within the context of Malta has been used to identify the importance of manipulating space and light to construct ritual (Stoddart et al 2019). While the site today is open, light, and allows for movement, the recreation of the collapsed roof demonstrates that this would have rendered the hypogeum very dark, with natural sunlight blocked by the many screens and walls.…”