The Maltese Archipelago is a unique barometer for understanding cultural change in the central Me... more The Maltese Archipelago is a unique barometer for understanding cultural change in the central Mediterranean. Prehistoric people helped to reshape the islands’ economy, and when Mediterranean maritime highways were being established, the islands became a significant lure to Phoenician colonists venturing from their Levantine homeland. Punic Malta also sat at the frontline of regional hostilities until it fell to Rome. Preserved in this island setting are signs of people’s endurance and adaptation to each new challenge. This book is the first systematic and up-to-date survey of the islands’ archaeological evidence from the initial settlers to the archipelago’s inclusion into the Roman world (ca. 5000 BC–400 AD). Claudia Sagona draws upon old and new discoveries, and her analysis covers well-known sites such as the megalithic structures, as well as less familiar locations and discoveries. She interprets the archaeological record to explain changing social and political structures, intriguing ritual practices and cultural contact through several millennia.
Catalogue of Artefacts from Malta in the British Museum. Oxford: Archaeopress., 2017
The archaeology of the Maltese archipelago is remarkable. Lying at the heart of the central Medit... more The archaeology of the Maltese archipelago is remarkable. Lying at the heart of the central Mediterranean, ancient lives were, at times, moulded by isolation and harsh elements and the landscape is shaped by millennia of intensive land use. Ancient finds from the islands are rare, and those held in the British Museum form an important collection. Represented is a wide cultural range, spanning the Early and Late Neolithic, the Bronze Age, Roman and more recent historic periods. From the early 1880s, Malta attracted a fascinating array of historians, collectors and travellers and, on one level, the British Museum’s holdings represent their activities, but on another, the collections reflect the complex path antiquarianism has played out in Malta as it moved steadily toward fledgling archaeological investigations. Significantly, artefacts excavated by notable Maltese archaeologist, Sir Themistocles Zammit, at the key Neolithic site of Tarxien, and those uncovered by Margaret Murray at Borġ in-Nadur form a crucial part of the collection.
On 19th November 2001, while two of us (DB, NJC) were preparing a drawn record of the Punic tomb ... more On 19th November 2001, while two of us (DB, NJC) were preparing a drawn record of the Punic tomb that is situated on Bajda Ridge, Xemxija, a small ceramic bowl (100211) was uncovered from below a few centimetres of soil that covered the inner part of the threshold to the rock-cut chamber (Fig. 1). An official from the Museums Department was informed of the discovery on the same day and a site inspection was carried out. It was realised that more artefacts could lie undisturbed within the chamber and a decision was taken to excavate the deposit. Authorisation for the Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta, to undertake the excavation was received from the Director, Museums Department, and the excavation was completed on the 22nd November. The tomb is located on the ridge, near a path that diverges eastwards from the track that links Pwales valley to the Mistra valley. It is cut in the Upper Coralline limestone that outcrops in the area on a North-South axis and c...
Georgian-Australian excavations in the multi-period settlement site of Rabati, located in southwe... more Georgian-Australian excavations in the multi-period settlement site of Rabati, located in southwest Georgia, have produced substantial evidence of textile manufacturing in the Early Kurgan, Bedeni period (2400–2000 BCE). The results of Palynological, Non-Pollen Palynomorph (NPP), Archaeobotanical, bone and fired clay tool analyses presented here have identified fibres of flax and hemp. The presence of cotton is the earliest evidence for this fibre in the region, pointing to trade in the commodity rather than its local cultivation. Also identified were coloured fibres and the possible sources of dye found in the Early Kurgan contexts at the site are discussed. The large number of textile manufacturing implements concentrated in one area of Rabati may indicate that this production was commercial rather than a domestic activity. An active, local textile industry during this period of growing social complexity has significant implications for the development of the emerging elite elements in an increasingly stratified society.
The capital of ancient Iberia, Mtskheta, has long occupied a central role in the social, religiou... more The capital of ancient Iberia, Mtskheta, has long occupied a central role in the social, religious and economic life of Western Asia. The town sits at the confluence of two major rivers, the Aragvi and Mtkvari (Kura). Their valleys brought people, trade and cultural influences from surrounding lands for millennia. Mtskheta’s environs are rich in biodiversity, with a patchwork of floodplain forests, oak woodlands, juniper scrub, forest-steppe and grassy steppe vegetation. This paper describes a history of vegetation, fire and grazing preserved in the sediments of Jvari Lake in Mtskheta. Evidence of changing land use is interpreted in the light of the town’s extensive archaeological-historical record, revealing strong links and dynamic interactions between ancient cultures and their environment. Through times of peace and conflict, forests traded places with pastures as people adapted subsistence strategies to changing political and climatic conditions.
This paper reports on radiocarbon (14C) results from the recent archaeological investigations in ... more This paper reports on radiocarbon (14C) results from the recent archaeological investigations in the ancient frontier fortress of Rabati, in southwest Georgia, a collaborative research project involving archaeologists from the Georgian National Museum and the University of Melbourne. From the first three excavation seasons spanning 2016, 2018, and 2019, it became clear that significant Bedeni phase deposits capped most of the summit of the site. Levels with their distinctive vessels and a range of contemporary, local domestic wares, pits and some traces of architecture seal underlying Early Bronze Age strata. The Early Bronze Age levels include massive architecture rarely seen in Kura-Araxes settlements. Some finds can only be described as unique and extraordinary while others suggest that the core population was stable with long-held traditions, yet open to new influences infiltrating this highland site during the subsequent Early Kurgan (Martkopi-Bedeni) period. We discuss the key discoveries at Rabati relative to the 14C readings from the site within the wider setting of contemporary sites in the Caucasus.
The Maltese Archipelago is a unique barometer for understanding cultural change in the central Me... more The Maltese Archipelago is a unique barometer for understanding cultural change in the central Mediterranean. Prehistoric people helped to reshape the islands’ economy, and when Mediterranean maritime highways were being established, the islands became a significant lure to Phoenician colonists venturing from their Levantine homeland. Punic Malta also sat at the frontline of regional hostilities until it fell to Rome. Preserved in this island setting are signs of people’s endurance and adaptation to each new challenge. This book is the first systematic and up-to-date survey of the islands’ archaeological evidence from the initial settlers to the archipelago’s inclusion into the Roman world (ca. 5000 BC–400 AD). Claudia Sagona draws upon old and new discoveries, and her analysis covers well-known sites such as the megalithic structures, as well as less familiar locations and discoveries. She interprets the archaeological record to explain changing social and political structures, intriguing ritual practices and cultural contact through several millennia.
Catalogue of Artefacts from Malta in the British Museum. Oxford: Archaeopress., 2017
The archaeology of the Maltese archipelago is remarkable. Lying at the heart of the central Medit... more The archaeology of the Maltese archipelago is remarkable. Lying at the heart of the central Mediterranean, ancient lives were, at times, moulded by isolation and harsh elements and the landscape is shaped by millennia of intensive land use. Ancient finds from the islands are rare, and those held in the British Museum form an important collection. Represented is a wide cultural range, spanning the Early and Late Neolithic, the Bronze Age, Roman and more recent historic periods. From the early 1880s, Malta attracted a fascinating array of historians, collectors and travellers and, on one level, the British Museum’s holdings represent their activities, but on another, the collections reflect the complex path antiquarianism has played out in Malta as it moved steadily toward fledgling archaeological investigations. Significantly, artefacts excavated by notable Maltese archaeologist, Sir Themistocles Zammit, at the key Neolithic site of Tarxien, and those uncovered by Margaret Murray at Borġ in-Nadur form a crucial part of the collection.
On 19th November 2001, while two of us (DB, NJC) were preparing a drawn record of the Punic tomb ... more On 19th November 2001, while two of us (DB, NJC) were preparing a drawn record of the Punic tomb that is situated on Bajda Ridge, Xemxija, a small ceramic bowl (100211) was uncovered from below a few centimetres of soil that covered the inner part of the threshold to the rock-cut chamber (Fig. 1). An official from the Museums Department was informed of the discovery on the same day and a site inspection was carried out. It was realised that more artefacts could lie undisturbed within the chamber and a decision was taken to excavate the deposit. Authorisation for the Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta, to undertake the excavation was received from the Director, Museums Department, and the excavation was completed on the 22nd November. The tomb is located on the ridge, near a path that diverges eastwards from the track that links Pwales valley to the Mistra valley. It is cut in the Upper Coralline limestone that outcrops in the area on a North-South axis and c...
Georgian-Australian excavations in the multi-period settlement site of Rabati, located in southwe... more Georgian-Australian excavations in the multi-period settlement site of Rabati, located in southwest Georgia, have produced substantial evidence of textile manufacturing in the Early Kurgan, Bedeni period (2400–2000 BCE). The results of Palynological, Non-Pollen Palynomorph (NPP), Archaeobotanical, bone and fired clay tool analyses presented here have identified fibres of flax and hemp. The presence of cotton is the earliest evidence for this fibre in the region, pointing to trade in the commodity rather than its local cultivation. Also identified were coloured fibres and the possible sources of dye found in the Early Kurgan contexts at the site are discussed. The large number of textile manufacturing implements concentrated in one area of Rabati may indicate that this production was commercial rather than a domestic activity. An active, local textile industry during this period of growing social complexity has significant implications for the development of the emerging elite elements in an increasingly stratified society.
The capital of ancient Iberia, Mtskheta, has long occupied a central role in the social, religiou... more The capital of ancient Iberia, Mtskheta, has long occupied a central role in the social, religious and economic life of Western Asia. The town sits at the confluence of two major rivers, the Aragvi and Mtkvari (Kura). Their valleys brought people, trade and cultural influences from surrounding lands for millennia. Mtskheta’s environs are rich in biodiversity, with a patchwork of floodplain forests, oak woodlands, juniper scrub, forest-steppe and grassy steppe vegetation. This paper describes a history of vegetation, fire and grazing preserved in the sediments of Jvari Lake in Mtskheta. Evidence of changing land use is interpreted in the light of the town’s extensive archaeological-historical record, revealing strong links and dynamic interactions between ancient cultures and their environment. Through times of peace and conflict, forests traded places with pastures as people adapted subsistence strategies to changing political and climatic conditions.
This paper reports on radiocarbon (14C) results from the recent archaeological investigations in ... more This paper reports on radiocarbon (14C) results from the recent archaeological investigations in the ancient frontier fortress of Rabati, in southwest Georgia, a collaborative research project involving archaeologists from the Georgian National Museum and the University of Melbourne. From the first three excavation seasons spanning 2016, 2018, and 2019, it became clear that significant Bedeni phase deposits capped most of the summit of the site. Levels with their distinctive vessels and a range of contemporary, local domestic wares, pits and some traces of architecture seal underlying Early Bronze Age strata. The Early Bronze Age levels include massive architecture rarely seen in Kura-Araxes settlements. Some finds can only be described as unique and extraordinary while others suggest that the core population was stable with long-held traditions, yet open to new influences infiltrating this highland site during the subsequent Early Kurgan (Martkopi-Bedeni) period. We discuss the key discoveries at Rabati relative to the 14C readings from the site within the wider setting of contemporary sites in the Caucasus.
Presented here is a preliminary account of excavations carried out at the site of Rabati (Meskhet... more Presented here is a preliminary account of excavations carried out at the site of Rabati (Meskhet-Javakheti region, southwest Georgia) in 2016 and 2018 by the Georgian-Australian Investigations in Archaeology (GAIA) project. At this multi-period site, architectural remains and a range of cultural artefacts span the Chalcolithic, through Bronze and Iron Ages, to the medieval period. Specific cultural finds have included Bedeni and Trialeti deposits characterised by distinctive pottery types and, importantly, contemporary common wares representing an otherwise little-known local domestic ceramic industry. Archaeobotanical and palynological analyses reflect on the agricultural economy at the site, which included cultivated cereals and other edible plants
La vie, la mort et la religión dans l’univers phénicien et punique: Actes du VIIème Congrès International des Études Phéniciennes et Puniques, Vol. 3, 2019 (La mort, la religion / coord. por Ahmed Ferjaoui, Taoufik Redissi), ISBN 978-9973-0974-2-2, págs. 1575-1586, 2019
This paper reports on radiocarbon (14C) results from the recent archaeological investigations in ... more This paper reports on radiocarbon (14C) results from the recent archaeological investigations in the ancient frontier fortress of Rabati, in southwest Georgia, a collaborative research project involving archaeologists from the Georgian National Museum and the University of Melbourne. From the first three excavation seasons spanning 2016, 2018, and 2019, it became clear that significant Bedeni phase deposits capped most of the summit of the site. Levels with their distinctive vessels and a range of contemporary, local domestic wares, pits and some traces of architecture seal underlying Early Bronze Age strata. The Early Bronze Age levels include massive architecture rarely seen in Kura-Araxes settlements. Some finds can only be described as unique and extraordinary while others suggest that the core population was stable with long-held traditions, yet open to new influences infiltrating this highland site during the subsequent Early Kurgan (Martkopi-Bedeni) period. We discuss the key...
The archaeology of the Maltese archipelago is remarkable. Lying at the heart of the central Medit... more The archaeology of the Maltese archipelago is remarkable. Lying at the heart of the central Mediterranean, ancient lives were, at times, moulded by isolation and harsh elements and the landscape is shaped by millennia of intensive land use. Ancient finds from the islands are rare, and those held in the British Museum form an important collection. Represented is a wide cultural range, spanning the Early and Late Neolithic, the Bronze Age, Roman and more recent historic periods. From the early 1880s, Malta attracted a fascinating array of historians, collectors and travellers and, on one level, the British Museum’s holdings represent their activities, but on another, the collections reflect the complex path antiquarianism has played out in Malta as it moved steadily toward fledgling archaeological investigations. Significantly, artefacts excavated by notable Maltese archaeologist, Sir Themistocles Zammit, at the key Neolithic site of Tarxien, and those uncovered by Margaret Murray at Borġ in-Nadur form a crucial part of the collection.
The vast necropolis at Samtavro, near Tbilisi, Georgia, is accorded primacy in the archaeology of... more The vast necropolis at Samtavro, near Tbilisi, Georgia, is accorded primacy in the archaeology of the southern Caucasus for several reasons. Covering area approximately 20 hectares it is the largest burial ground in the Caucasus. Its longevity of use is also remarkable. First utilised as a cemetery in the third millennium BC, it peaked during the Late Bronze and Iron Ages, and again in the late Roman and late Antique periods. It was also intensely used, shown by the proximity of the burials, often packed closely together, and, in some cases, stratified. Finally, Samtavro was the main burial ground at Mtskheta during the Iberian Kingdom and witnessed the implantation of Christianity in the fourth century AD. Curiously, though, the burial traditions from the fourth and fifth centuries are not those usually associated with Christian burial practice elsewhere. This paper reports on the results of the first two years of renewed excavations carried out by the Georgian National Museum and ...
In 1997, we published M16-Burial 2 from Sos Hoyuk, Eastern Turkey in which an unusual, Y-shaped a... more In 1997, we published M16-Burial 2 from Sos Hoyuk, Eastern Turkey in which an unusual, Y-shaped antler artefact was found. The tomb had the hallmarks of the Trialeti period and rendered an absolute date to match (2350-1945 cal BC). Drawing on evidence for similar antler objects from European sites of the Middle Ages, I offer a re-evaluation of the antler object from Sos Hoyuk as a box in its own right and not as a part of a larger apparatus, which was our first supposition. Though this tomb was modest in scale, it held some frit beads and a seashell ring, which point to long distance contacts. Signs of binding the corpse in this and in a second tomb at the site invite notions of prolonged burial practices and a mobile society, though a society still retaining a sense of homeland and belonging to a territory.
Accordia Specialist Studies on the Mediterranean, vol. 6, Accordia Research Institute, University... more Accordia Specialist Studies on the Mediterranean, vol. 6, Accordia Research Institute, University of London, London 2006, 554 pages. Cased. ISBN 1–873415–29–X
Uploads
Books by Claudia Sagona
Papers by Claudia Sagona