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| Għar Dalam phase | |
|---|---|
| Name | Għar Dalam phase |
| Region | Malta |
| Period | Neolithic |
| Dates | ca. 5000–4100 BCE |
| Preceded by | Kercem phase |
| Followed by | Tarxien phase |
| Type site | Għar Dalam |
Għar Dalam phase
The Għar Dalam phase is a prehistoric cultural phase on Malta identified through stratified finds at the eponymous cave and correlated contexts across the Maltese archipelago. It represents an early Neolithic horizon characterized by distinctive lithics, ceramics, faunal assemblages, and funerary evidence that inform debates about island colonization, maritime networks, and insular adaptation in the central Mediterranean. Excavations and analyses by researchers associated with institutions such as the British Museum, the University of Malta, and the Society of Antiquaries of London have refined its definition and regional significance.
The phase is defined on the basis of stratigraphy and assemblage composition recovered from Għar Dalam cave on Malta and comparative assemblages at sites on Gozo, Comino, and coastal localities. Key defining materials include grit-tempered ceramics, flaked and polished stone tools, and faunal remains dominated by introduced taxa. Early descriptions were advanced by investigators linked to the Maltese Government Department of Antiquities and antiquarians of the 19th century who situated the deposits within broader Neolithic sequences such as the Early Neolithic of the central Mediterranean. Subsequent typological frameworks from researchers at the University of Cambridge and radiometric programs at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit have institutionalized the phase as a baseline for Maltese prehistory.
Primary data derive from excavations in the stratified chambers of Għar Dalam cave, supplemented by open-air occupations at coastal localities near Marsaxlokk, St. Paul’s Bay, and settlement traces on Gozo such as Ghar Qawqla. Shell middens, hearth features, and burial pits have been reported at peripheral localities, while the cave assemblage includes successive occupation layers that allow intra-site sequence analysis. Fieldwork by teams from the University of Leicester and heritage projects under the Planning Authority (Malta) have documented site formation processes, coastal erosion impacts, and post-depositional disturbance affecting preservation.
Ceramic repertoires feature coarse, grit-tempered wares with simple forms—bowls, shallow dishes, and occasional carinated profiles—paralleling assemblages described in early Neolithic contexts in Sicily and southern Italy. Lithic industries show flaked chert implements, polished stone adzes, and ground stone artifacts consistent with woodland clearance and carpentry practices; raw material procurement patterns link to outcrops on Sicily and local sources on Malta. Worked bone, shell ornaments, and possible spindle whorls occur in limited quantities. Human remains recovered from the cave and discrete pit burials exhibit primary interments and secondary deposits; osteological analyses conducted by teams affiliated with the Natural History Museum, London and the University of Malta have assessed demography, pathology, and isotopic signatures that inform mobility and diet reconstructions.
Radiocarbon determinations obtained from charcoal, charred plant material, and faunal bone place the phase broadly within the Early to Middle Neolithic, with calibrated ranges commonly cited between ca. 5000 and 4100 BCE. Chronometric programs run at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit and comparative Bayesian modeling by researchers connected to the University of Oxford have refined intra-phase boundaries and rates of cultural change. Stratigraphic superposition in Għar Dalam and correlation with ceramic seriation from sites on Gozo underpin relative chronological frameworks used by Maltese and international scholars.
Zooarchaeological assemblages are dominated by domesticated suids, caprines, and cattle, indicating pastoral emphasis; fish remains, mollusks, and wild bird bones attest to continued exploitation of marine and avian resources. Macro-botanical and micro-botanical analyses, including work by paleoethnobotanists linked to the University of Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, recover cereal impressions and charred seeds consistent with small-scale agriculture and cereal cultivation practices transmitted via maritime migrants. Material evidence supports mixed agro-pastoral economies with significant reliance on marine resources typical of insular Neolithic adaptations.
Settlement evidence suggests small, dispersed hamlets and temporary camps rather than dense nucleated towns; spatial distributions around sheltered bays and access to fresh water at locations such as Mgarr indicate strategic siting. Mortuary variability—isolated inhumations, secondary deposits, and cave interments—points to diverse social practices concerning ancestor veneration and household-based ritual. Artifact variability and differential access to raw materials imply emerging social differentiation, as discussed in comparative studies referencing populations associated with Sicilian Neolithic communities and broader Mediterranean insular societies.
Material affinities in ceramics, lithics, and subsistence practices indicate substantial connections with Sicily, southern Italy, and broader central Mediterranean maritime networks during the Early Neolithic. The presence of imported lithic types and stylistic parallels in ornamentation have prompted models of colonization, demic diffusion, and sustained exchange involving groups linked to archaeological cultures documented at sites like Grotta dell'Uzzo and Stentinello culture contexts. Interpretations advanced by scholars at the University of Sheffield and the Instituto Universitario di Studi Superiori emphasize both incoming influences and local innovation in shaping the Għar Dalam phase trajectory.
Category:Prehistoric Malta Category:Neolithic cultures of Europe