Le ricerche a Tas-Silġ nord e la sequenza culturale di Malta dal Neolitico tardo alla prima età del Ferro

Excavations 2003‐2011 at Tas‐Silg· North have brought to light a long‐term stratigraphic sequence spanning from the Late Neolithic (Tarxien phase, 3000 BC) to the 8th century BC, the time when contacts with the Phoenician sailors first started. Shortly after that the sanctuary was turned into a worship place dedicated to the goddess Astarte and then, in the Roman‐Hellenistic period, it became a huge sanctuary dedicated to Hera‐Juno. The site was continuously occupied until the Byzantine period. The paper presents the major pieces of evidence at the site from the Late Neolithic to the 8th century BC. Moreover, the wider cultural context of the Maltese archipelago and its relationships with the Mediterranean regions through time are taken into consideration, particularly focussing on the socio‐economic transfor‐ mations of the Maltese communities.