Scambi ed interazioni tra la Sicilia e l'arcipelago maltese tra Neolitico ed età del Bronzo : recenti ricerche e nuovi termini del problema

Throughout prehistory, Sicily and the Maltese Archipelago were in a special relation with phases of cultural osmosis alternated with active interactions and apparent lack of contacts. From the Neolithic to the end of Bronze Age, the main indicator of such intertwinement has been always pottery. Mutual presence of pottery of Maltese type in Sicily and Sicilian type in Malta has been used as argument to support various hypotheses about mobility of goods and individuals. However, the growing application of petrography and chemistry for study and characterization of ancient ceramics has significantly impacted the way in which such issue can be addressed. In this contribution, a general survey of the history of the relationship between the two islands will be presented, highlighting criticalities in the traditional approach, providing new data from recent researches and emphasizing the strategic relevance of archaeometry as elected ancillary discipline for ceramics study and prehistory. [Publisher's text]