6 ARCHAEOLOGY • July/August 2019
W
ater not only sustains us, it also brings us together—travel by boat has always
been easier and less costly than overland transit. I was reminded of the
importance of maritime journeys during a recent visit to Malta. These small
rocky islands to the south of Sicily lie in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, which,
throughout history, has connected peoples living on and beyond its shores. For at least
7 , 000 years, many of these peoples passed through Malta, among them Greeks, Romans,
Muslims, Sicilians, Normans, Spanish, French,
and British. Acts 28 recounts that the apostle
Paul, who came from the city of Tarsus in Asia
Minor (modern Turkey), spent time in Malta
in the first century after being shipwrecked
while on his way to Rome. Of particular
interest to me is Malta’s early colonization by
the Phoenicians, a Semitic people who lived
on the coast of modern-day Lebanon and
controlled much of the maritime trade in the
Mediterranean during the first millennium.
The many peoples who traveled through Malta left a lasting imprint on the main is-
land’s landscape, culture, and population, from prehistoric megalithic temples to Phoe-
nician tombs, from Roman baths to the medieval fortifications of the Grand Harbor in
the main city of Valletta. In some ways, Malta’s appearance reminds me of Jerusalem’s
Old City, where I have conducted much of my research. In both places, the densely
packed buildings, usually no more than two stories high, are constructed of the lo-
cal yellow stone. The sound of Maltese—a Semitic language related to Arabic, which
perhaps preserves Phoenician elements but is written using the Latin alphabet—is also
familiar to my ears. And yet, Catholicism is the state religion, English is the second
language, and vehicles drive on the left side of the road, some of the legacies of centu-
ries of European influence and colonization. Malta’s rich and unique cultural heritage
would not be possible without its location at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, which
has connected travelers and traders for millennia.FROM THE PRESIDENT
THE MALTESE
WAY OF LIFE
Jodi Magness
President, Archaeological Institute of AmericaGrand Harbor, Valletta, MaltaArchaeological
Institute of AmericaOFFICERS
President
Jodi Magness
First Vice President
Laetitia La Follette
Vice President for Outreach and Education
Ethel Scully
Vice President for Research and Academic Affairs
Thomas Tartaron
Vice President for Cultural Heritage
Elizabeth S. Greene
Vice President for Societies
Connie Rodriguez
Treasurer
David Seigle
Executive Director
Ann Benbow
Chief Operating Officer
Kevin Quinlan
GOVERNING BOARD
Elie Abemayor
David Adam
Deborah Arnold
Jeanne Bailey
David Boochever
Thomas Carpenter
Jane Carter, ex officio
Arthur Cassanos
Larry Cripe
Joshua Gates
Elizabeth M. Greene
Julie Herzig Desnick
James Jansson
Lisa Kealhofer
Morag Kersel
Mark Lawall
Thomas Levy
Gary Linn
Jarrett A. Lobell, ex officio
Kathleen Lynch
Tina Mayland
H. Bruce McEver
Barbara Meyer
Sarah Parcak
A. Phokion Potamianos
Kevin Quinlan, ex officio
Laura Rich
Kim Shelton
Thomas Sienkewic
Monica L. Smith
Maria Vecchiotti
Michael Wiseman
John Yarmick
Past President
Andrew Moore
Trustees Emeriti
Brian Heidtke
Norma Kershaw
Charles S. La Follette
Legal Counsel
Mitchell Eitel, Esq.
Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP
Archaeological Institute of America
44 Beacon Street • Boston, MA 02108
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