Interdisciplinary approaches to prehistoric Malta: discoveries from the FRAGSUS project

The FRAGSUS research project has transformed understanding of the prehistoric sequence on the Maltese islands, employing a mixture of new and established analytical techniques. An extended programme of radiocarbon dates has refined the dating of the archaeological phases and provided evidence that the islands were totally abandoned for more than a millennium after the end of the period of the megalithic temples. A combination of techniques has shown that the soils, initially fertile and reinforced by the use of manure, later deteriorated, possibly as the result of climate change. Analyses of both human and animal bones, and also plant remains, have demonstrated increasing problems of sustainability after the millennium-long period of stability and success that supported the temple culture. Overall, the results of the FRAGSUS project demonstrate the value of large-scale interdisciplinary projects in enabling understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ of historical development and change.