MATSEC IM History flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Għar Dalam phase

Earliest Neolithic Maltese phase, named after a cave near Birżebbuġa; characterised by impressed pottery and the first farming communities, dated to around 5200 BC.

Ġgantija temples

Two megalithic temples on Gozo, among the oldest free-standing stone structures in the world; built in the Temple Period with coralline limestone and apsidal plans.

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum

Three-level rock-cut underground complex near Paola used for burial and ritual; famous for red-ochre spiral paintings and the 'Sleeping Lady' figurine.

Tarxien Cemetery phase

Bronze Age phase after the Temple Period, marked by cremation burials placed within the ruined Tarxien temples and new pottery styles, indicating cultural change.

Cart ruts

Parallel grooves cut into Maltese limestone, especially at Misraħ Għar il-Kbir; their date and purpose are debated, with carts, sledges and quarrying all proposed.

Melite

The name used for Malta and its chief town in classical sources; the Punic and Roman settlement lay on the plateau now occupied by Mdina and Rabat.

Domvs Romana

Roman townhouse at Rabat with preserved polychrome mosaics and Hellenistic-style statuary; key archaeological evidence for Roman domestic life in Malta.

St Paul's shipwreck

According to Acts 28, Paul was shipwrecked on Malta around AD 60; the episode became a central element of Maltese Christian tradition and identity.

Tas-Silġ sanctuary

Multi-period religious site near Marsaxlokk, used from the Punic era through Roman and Byzantine times; shows continuity of cult practice across cultures.

Primary versus secondary source

A primary source is contemporary evidence such as coins, inscriptions or stratigraphy; a secondary source interprets such evidence, for example a modern history book.

Arab conquest of Malta

Aghlabid forces took Malta around AD 870; the period introduced new crops and irrigation and shaped the Siculo-Arabic roots of the Maltese language.

Norman rule 1091

Count Roger I of Sicily took Malta in 1091, returning it to Latin Christendom; the island was governed as a county under Sicilian overlordship.

Order of St John 1530

The Hospitaller Order received Malta, Gozo and Tripoli from Emperor Charles V in 1530 after losing Rhodes; it ruled the islands until 1798.

Great Siege 1565

Ottoman attempt to take Malta, defeated by the Order under Grand Master Jean de la Valette; the loss of Fort St Elmo became a symbol of resistance.

Founding of Valletta

New fortified capital begun in 1566 on the Sciberras peninsula, planned by Francesco Laparelli; named after Grand Master de la Valette and built on a grid.

St John's Co-Cathedral

Conventual church of the Order in Valletta, richly decorated in Baroque style; holds Caravaggio's 'The Beheading of St John the Baptist', painted in 1608.

Langues of the Order

National divisions of the Hospitaller Order, such as Provence, Auvergne, France, Italy, Aragon, England, Germany and Castile; each had an auberge in Valletta.

Sacra Infermeria

The Order's great hospital in Valletta, known for advanced care and a long ward; now a conference centre, it illustrates Hospitaller welfare provision.

Inquisitor's Palace, Birgu

Seat of the Roman Inquisition in Malta from the sixteenth century; now a museum, it documents religious control and everyday life under the Order.

Wignacourt Aqueduct

Water supply built under Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt, completed in 1615, carrying water from Rabat to Valletta; towers mark its route.

French occupation 1798

Napoleon took Malta in 1798, ending the Order's rule; French reforms and requisitions provoked a Maltese uprising and a blockade aided by Britain.

Treaty of Paris 1814

The treaty confirmed British sovereignty over Malta after the Napoleonic Wars; Malta had been under British protection since the revolt of 1798–1800.

Bathurst Constitution 1813

Constitutional arrangement named after the colonial secretary; it gave Malta a governor and nominated council, excluding elected Maltese representation.

Self-government 1921

Malta received a constitution with an elected legislature and responsible government; it was suspended in 1933 and restored in 1947.

Independence 1964

Malta became independent on 21 September 1964 with a constitution providing for a governor-general and a prime minister; George Borg Olivier led the government.

Republic of Malta 1974

Constitutional amendment on 13 December 1974 replaced the monarch with a Maltese president as head of state; Dom Mintoff was prime minister.

Fort St Elmo

Star fort at the tip of the Sciberras peninsula; its fall in June 1565 during the Great Siege cost the Ottomans time and men before Valletta was built.

Mdina and Rabat

Twin settlements on the old Melite plateau; Mdina became the fortified medieval capital, while Rabat grew outside its walls around Roman and early Christian sites.

Siculo-Arabic dialect

The Arabic-derived speech of medieval Sicily and Malta; Maltese developed from it, with later Italian and English influence, and is written in Latin script.

Cottonera lines

Extensive seventeenth-century fortifications around the Three Cities of Birgu, Senglea and Cospicua, designed to protect the harbour area from land attack.

Cittadella, Gozo

Fortified citadel above Victoria; served as Gozo's administrative and refuge centre and was rebuilt after Ottoman raids, notably the 1551 attack.

Hospitaller corsairing

The Order licensed corsair raids on Ottoman and North African shipping; prize courts at Valletta regulated captures and the revenue supported the Order's treasury.