Potential clay sources such as il-Qarraba (fig. 1) were sampled to permit analysis of clay and associated materials. A set of 381 archaeological pottery sherds, representing the phases relevant to the project, was selected from the collections of the National Museum of Archaeology. An example from an Għar Dalam phase sherd is shown in fig. 2. Permission was obtained from the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage to section and analyse the sherds. The principal researcher classified and documented the appearance and characteristics of the pottery sherd fabrics. The fabrics were classified in fifteen groups with particular characteristics, benefiting the understanding of the manufacture of Maltese pottery and changes in fabrication practice. These descriptions complement and inform earlier published classifications based on pottery shape and use.
Some of the results provide fabrication details. All the pottery was manufactured in open fires at temperatures below 900°C. Similarities were noticed between the appearance of Għar Dalam and Skorba sherd fabrics, although the fabrics were found to be different. Pottery from these two phases includes limestone and calcite temper, which reinforces the clay; several Żebbuġ phase sherds, on the other hand, utilize small broken fragments of pottery. These and other observations denote changes in the techniques used.
Sherds from each of the groups were analysed in depth using a range of laboratory techniques . Fig. 3 shows an Għar Dalam sherd section in polarized light, showing calcium carbonate temper (in green and white). The comparison of mineral and fossil components in the pottery to those present in the geology of Malta indicate, with a high level of probability, that the earliest cultures which settled here could produce pottery using local materials. Comparisons of pottery forms and appearance had revealed that cultural mobility played its part, as there are similarities between Maltese and Sicilian pottery styles, although each developed its particular stylistic characteristics; but it is becoming clear that this mobility was of skills and knowledge, rather than just products.
The information generated by the project is being curated, and will include over 15,000 images and analytical data describing the materials in the pottery and clay, which will be made openly available to researchers. An online catalogue of images describing the fabric of most sherds included in the project will be presented in an online catalogue of fabrics, which will be hosted by Heritage Malta. Research results are being compiled and reviewed for publication in open access journals. An online workshop for stakeholders in research on pottery found in Malta will be held in February 2021, continuing the project’s promotion of the association of researchers in interdisciplinary and international collaboration.
Presentations for specialist and general audiences have been and will be held, and a temporary exhibition is planned for display at the National Museum of Archaeology. Lectures on clay and archaeological pottery have been delivered to archaeology students, and a lesson set is being prepared for secondary schools. Potifer, a citizen science project inviting members of the public to assist research is being developed to engage people to count and identify the small fossil remains of single-celled foraminifera present in the pottery (fig. 4 shows an electron microscope image of sherd with several foraminifera included). This will launch in 2021. The adoption of online communication, lectures and citizen science methods were prompted by the COVID-19 situation in 2020.
