L’architettura a Malta (provincia Sicilia) in età imperiale: elementi noti e prospettive di ricerca

The current paper aims to outline some research paths in the study of the architectural decoration in the Maltese archipelago. The better recognizable building works there, during the Roman period, date from the late Republican age, favoured by the new economical organization of provincia Sicilia. If conventional wisdom identifies the Imperial age as a stagnation phase, actually scattered architectural elements provide evidence for the cultural vitality of this period, too. Data from the sanctuary of Tas-Silġ and the ancient capital Mdina, as well as its environs provide evidence for refurbishment phases during the Augustan and Julio-Claudian periods. Some important interventions were achieved in the 2nd cent. AD: Proconnesian marble fragments dating from this period witness Asia Minor artefacts imported on the islands, as already attested in Southern Italy. Finally, inscriptions – recently reconsidered – record euergetes involved in statue dedications, temple constructions and reconstructions