The Coastal Traders - Day 2 in Valletta (part iii)

So it turns out this museum was big. Really big. I didn't want to compact everything into the one post, so instead of the two (which you would be forgiven for believing would be the end of it), you now get a third, at absolutely NO EXTRA COST! What a bargain! We're still dealing with the bronze age, albeit a much later stage in the era. The Maltese, having had very little (if any) contact with the outside world have begun forming their own society with their own rituals, beliefs and creations - as is always the case with isolated civilsations, someone is bound to cross paths with them. In Malta's case, one of the earliest civilisations to come into contact with the islands were the Phoenicians, renowned Mediterranean traders who both imported new objects to Malta, as well as exported some Maltese wares to Northern Africa and Southern Europe.

This section of the museum was rather small, however, there was a fourth section which contained artifacts from Malta's history, from the stone age, right through to this year. Unfortunately, due to an error in uploading my photos to the computer, I deleted the latter half of these - unfortunate, as I've been accused of doing things worthy of Nicolas Cage, and one of the missing photos is of Malta's actual declaration of independence - If I have time at the end of my trip, I may go back to try and get my hands on it take a photograph of it.

Anyhoo, onto the Phoenicians.

This section of the museum wasn't specifically about Malta's interaction with the Phoenicians - rather it detailed the Phoenician impact on the Mediterranean. The interactions between the two races were quite affable - it was in both of their best interests to remain at peace with one another, as they had more to gain from trade than they could ever manage to take in a war.

The entryway information on the exhibit. Although blurred, you can find similar info on Wikipedia.

A map detailing the trade routes the Phoenicians used in the Mediterranean.

The Phoenicians pretty much dominated bronze age trade between coastal towns of the Mediterranean - they would take items from all over the region through to various ports in the known world. As such, there would often be a trade of culture as a significant part of this, including the introduction of largely ceremonial practices such as burial rites. Like the Egyptians before them, the Phoenicians were partial to burying their dead in sarcophagi, a tradition which had soon made its way to Malta, even if only with a small portion of the population.

What do you call a mummy who eats cookies in bed?

A Crummy mummy.

The sarcophagus itself - not as detailed as their Egyptian counterparts.

Following on from this rather small display, there was a special exhibit in the museum - The History of Malta in 100 Artifacts. While there were some amazing objects in here, it would not do the items any justice to go into details here, as they are a sporadic view of the items which can be found within the island's history. As such, these items will be covered in greater detail in posts which deal with their actual significance as a page from history.

Until next time,

R&S