The Early Bronze Age in the Maltese Islands

The Early Bronze Age of the Maltese archipelago marks a phase of deep transformation of the Late Neolithic socio-cultural system. Nonetheless, various aspects of this period remain obscure, including chronology, settlement patterns, and social organisation. in the first section we retrace briefly the history of the debate on the Maltese Early Bronze Age chronological sequence. This review is aimed at giving a general picture of the different views held by the various scholars who have dealt with the subject on one hand and at clarifying terminological aspects and chronological issues on the other. In the light of the more recent data, it seems possible to single out two different phases within the Maltese Early Bronze Age. Thus, the two sections that follow are devoted to a discussion of the archaeological evidence related to each of these phases. We attempt to highlight the problematic points and to suggest possible readings. Finally, we present some conclusive remarks summarising the main points and suggesting some interpretative hypotheses.