Silo or vat? Observations on the ancient textile industry in Malta and early Phoenician interests in the Island

Abstract

This paper concerns the Bronze Age/Phoenician contact period, focusing on a cache of pottery from Mtarfa, Malta, excavated by Ward Perkins in 1939, and the evidence of coastal and other pits, possibly used in the process of dyeing textile. Dyed fabric, it is argued, may have been the reason for Phoenician contact with the island prior to colonization. Murex shells and other possible dye sources within Malta are discussed.