Metaphor and Maltese Art

Explorations in the Temple Period

Authors

  • Caroline Malone Queen's University, Belfast

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jmea.v21i1.81

Keywords:

architecture, art, cosmology, figurines, Malta, ritual, symbolism

Abstract

Temple Period Malta in the 3rd millennium BC saw the production of a range of figurative and decorative art and architecture that implies a richly populated spiritual and cognitive world associated with ritual practice in life and death. The paper explores the potential to categorize the figurative art into distinct groups, and how these various images might represent aspects of the cosmology and social concerns of a prehistoric island society.

Author Biography

  • Caroline Malone, Queen's University, Belfast
    Caroline Malone specializes in European prehistory, especially Neolithic-Chalcolithic settlement, burial and ritual in the central Mediterranean and islands. She has undertaken major field projects in Italy (Gubbio), Sicily (Troina), Scotland (Lismore), and since 1987, has been a co-director of the Gozo project (Malta) exploring a major burial hypogeum complex. She was editor of Antiquity from 1998–2003 and currently lectures at Queen’s University in Belfast.

Published

2008-08-09

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Malone, C. (2008). Metaphor and Maltese Art: Explorations in the Temple Period. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, 21(1), 81-109. https://doi.org/10.1558/jmea.v21i1.81