Day of Antiquities

Today the van picked us up bright and early (and on time! different driver) for a drive to Valletta to meet Dr. Anthony Bonanno, Professor of Classics and Archaeology at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta. We arrived early, but the coffee and pastry shops along Republic Street in Valletta helped us to pass the time until the Museum opened at 9 a.m.

Dr. Bonanno explains Neolithic artifacts

Dr. Bonanno had lectured our class twice on campus, once on the earliest Neolithic prehistory of Malta, and again just yesterday on the Roman period. His tour of the museum began where his lectures had, with the earliest Neolithic settlers of the islands. He reminded us of the links to similar Neolithic evidence from Sicily, supporting the idea that the first settlers had come from there.

A number of "fat lady" statues, which were the focal points of all the temples. Heads were separate, and fit into a slot between the shoulders. No one knows why.

We moved on to rooms that highlighted artifacts from the "Temple Culture" of the late Neolithic period. Many of the things here had been found at places we had visited just a couple days ago, Hagar Qim and Mnajdra. Other artifacts were from the Tarxien Temple and Hypogeum -- sites on tap for this afternoon.

The famous "Sleeping Lady" statue that was recovered from the Hypogeum. She was made of fired clay nearly 5000 years ago.

Upstairs we entered the Bronze Age and the Phoenician Period. We learned that the Phoenicians -- while innovators in maritime navigation, trade, and the invention of the alphabet -- were generally only imitators when it came to art and religion. Phoenician pottery was very utilitarian, with the fancy pieces imitating the Greeks. Their religion was largely borrowed from Egypt.

Bronze Age olive or wine press.

Malta entered the Roman Period in the Second Punic War in 218 BCE, and that is where this museum's exhibits end. An expansion into the Roman and Byzantine Periods has been in the planning stages for nearly a decade, but nothing has yet come of it. Dr. Bonanno took his leave, and after walking around just a bit more to appreciated the Baroque Era building in which the exhibits are housed, we took our lunch.

Phoenician burials mimicked the Egyptians.

18th century ballroom in the Museum building.

The van then transported us to Tarxien to visit the Hypogeum. This is a Neolithic burial temple which may have started as a natural cave, but was expanded over a period of almost 2000 years to a labyrinth of chambers. All of it was carved into solid rock using other, harder rocks or in some cases, hardened animal bones and antlers which can be used as a sort of drill. Carving deep into rock using tools like these would require enormous patience, because the work would be exceedingly slow.

A museum model of Mnajdra shows the "cloverleaf" architecture common to the Megalithic temples of Malta, and not seen anywhere else in the world.

Some portions of the underground complex were rough chambers where bones were piled (it's estimated that more than 7000 bodies were deposited here over a period of 10-15 centuries). Other areas were finely crafted to resemble the megalithic temples on the surface. Given what tools must have been available, the workmanship is astounding. Further, some red ocher paint of geometric designs remains visible in certain areas. These spaces were probably used for rituals of some sort, possibly related to funeral rites or something related to ancestor worship.

Downloaded image of one of the most famous chambers in the Hypogeum.

Because the site is so fragile, with water and carbon dioxide from the exhaled breath of visitors constantly eroding the surfaces, only 10 visitors are allowed every hour. Also, even with these limitations the site is being damaged too rapidly, and it will close indefinitely next month. We were fortunate to be one of the last groups to visit. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed, so I've included one downloaded.

Tarxien Temple under protective canopy.

Even so, only half of our group could enter at any one time. So while the other half was underground, some of the rest of us went about five minutes' walk to the Tarxien Temples. This is a site very similar to Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, which we saw on Thursday. It is a bit smaller, however, it is right in the urban area and it is somewhat better preserved. It's also interesting because the people who came later, in the late Neolithic, used the ruins as a cremation site.

Huge clay-fired pot at Tarxien (this is a faithful replica, the original is back at the Museum).

One of the many altars at Tarxien (this is a faithful replica, the original is back at the Museum).

Interestingly, the area is still used for burials, as a modern cemetery is right next door. We took a minute to walk through part of it, marveling that multiple burials still take place here, just as in ancient times. Bodies are laid in family tombs until another family member has need of the same space, then the bones are piled into a corner of the tomb and the next body moves in.

Modern Maltese cemetery.

The more things change, the more they stay the same?

Hagar Qim

Today our group had its first excursion for the Maltese History course we are all involved in. After some drama concerning our van, which arrived 20 minutes late to pick us up, we managed to make it to the Hagar Qim (Hahd-jar kEEM) temple site only slightly behind the appointed time.

Entrance to Hagar Qim

We were met there by Dr. Nicholas C. Vella, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Malta. Nick had given us an absolutely fantastic lecture on campus yesterday about late prehistoric Malta (yes, really!), so we were very much looking forward to having him as our guide.

Dr. Vella leads us to the entrance

The site is on the southwest coast of the main island of Malta, near one of the only places where the sea is accessible along this coast -- most of the rest is characterized by steep cliffs. Some very small islets or large rocks are off shore near here.

Portals between rooms, carved into the rock

There are actually several "megalithic" (big rock) temples on this site. Technically, Hagar Qim is the upper temple complex, and down the hill about 500 meters, closer to the sea, is another complex called Mnajdra (the closest I can come to mispronouncing it is "mmNEYE-drah").

Entrance to Mnajdra

Both sites began to be developed around 3600 BCE or before, making them at least 500 years older than Stonehenge or any other free-standing megalithic structure in the world. They were expanded and remained in use for over 1000 years.

Holes drilled into the globigerina, for decoration?

The basic architecture of all of them is very similar, based on two semi-circular rooms on opposite sides of a entrance hallway. The hallway usually ends in a smaller semicircular apse or large niche. This design is totally unique to Malta, and does not appear anywhere else in the world.

Part of Hagar Qim is aligned with the islet off shore

Hagar Qim appears to have started out as a single, simple structure with two rooms and a central apse, looking something like a 3-leaf clover if viewed from above. It was expanded over time to add at least six rooms (or more, depending on how one counts) in a complex labyrinth.

This carving helps archaeologists know what the exterior of Mnajdra originally looked like.

Mnajdra also began as a simple structure, but then another was built near it, and finally a larger one squeezed in between the two. Only one of these seems oriented to track the sun from solstice through equinox to solstice.

The cove, a rare break in the cliff face of the western shoreline of Malta.

Hagar Qim is made primarily of soft, "globigerina" limestone. Mnajdra had an exterior of much harder "coralline" limestone, but an interior of globigerina stone that was easier to carve. Because the globigerina has deteriorated rapidly since being exposed, protective shelters were placed over both sites in 2009.

The sites were dug up by British treasure hunters back in the 1830s. In their diaries, they boasted that they carted away as refuse "wagon-loads" of broken pottery and animal bones. No one knows what became of these, but today's archaeologists would have loved to analyze all of it. The destruction wrought by these first diggers has left many mysteries here that will probably never be solved.

The surrounding countryside -- plenty of rock

Were these structures actually temples, as seems likely, or did they serve some other function? What sorts of deities were worshiped here? What kinds of rituals were performed? How did the people who worshiped here live day to day? After more than a millennium, why did the people who built and used these structures suddenly abandon them? Dr. Vella encouraged us to make our best guesses based on the available evidence, because that's what archaeologists do.

Mdina

In addition to regular university classes each selects, the two Luther courses our students are taking are an overview of Maltese history, and a course on contemporary issues in Malta and the Mediterranean region. As I am less than an expert on either topic, these courses are arranged for us as a series of guest lectures from faculty of the University of Malta. Mary and I get to sit in.

So far, the lectures have been excellent. The downside is that each lecture lasts two hours, often in tight, warm classrooms. This sometimes makes full attention a challenge. Nevertheless, it's been a delight to be on the learning side once again (although I do grade papers for the contemporary issues course, which counts at Luther as something called "Paideia 450").

The moat and walls of Mdina

Our students are quite adventuresome, and they've been out and about across the island more than we have. We realized in a lecture this week that the lecturer was mentioning places we hadn't been, but the students were all saying, "Oh, yeah, we've seen that." We decided it's time for the old folks to catch up.

Mdina main gate.

Today we hopped on a bus for Mdina (just hum a little bit before you open your mouth and say, "DEE-nah" and you'll have it). This is the old capital city (up until 1571), which sits inland a good 10-15 kilometers from the sea, just a little bit west of the dead center of the island of Malta. The old walled city is fairly small, with a population of only about 300. But just outside the wall is Rabat (from the Arabic word for "suburb") with a population of around 11,000. Some suburb.

The Co-Cathedral shares its status with one in Valletta

The guidebooks tell us that the settlement of Maleth was founded by the Phoenicians in about the 8th century BCE.  When the Romans conquered Malta in the Second Punic War in 218 BCE, they renamed the city Melite. The Byzantines kept the same name in Greek, Μελίττη, but when the Arabs came in the year 870 CE, they thought it sounded like their word for simply, "the city," which in Arabic is "medina." Maltese, which is a language derived from Arabic, turned it into L-Imdina (any vowel you thought should follow the L needs to stick in your throat for a fraction of a second before you move on). This was mangled by the Normans when they invaded here in 1091. And when the Knights of Malta took over in 1530 they Latin-ized what they thought they heard to the present name. Here endeth the linguistics lesson.

Madonnas are everywhere in Malta -- though most are not this grand.

The city as seen today dates from the time of the Knights, with most buildings dated to the 17th and 18th centuries. The walls, which withstood the Ottomans and earthquakes, are still completely intact. The architecture is baroque. The place is about nothing other than tourists today, with at least one restaurant in every block, and a souvenir shop across the street from it. Blown glass is a big seller here, and not cheap.

Flora and fauna (Mary)

When one looks at a map of Malta, it's difficult to understand why the Phoenicians -- who were sailors and traders -- settled so far inland, away from the seaports. When one actually sees Mdina, the mystery is revealed: From this hilltop one can see clearly all the way to Valletta and the Grand Harbor, to the sea beyond. Most of the southern land mass of Malta is spread out before the lookout on the ramparts. Invaders could be seen landing with plenty of time to prepare defenses.

Our view while drinking hot chocolate -- all the way to the sea!

A cold wind was blowing off the sea this morning, so we got some really excellent hot chocolate and cake at a cafe on the ramparts, taking in the view. Before getting back on the bus, in Rabat, we found a neighborhood pastizzeria.

A pastizzi is a traditional Maltese pastry stuffed with a filling -- usually ricotta cheese or (I've got to believe, thanks to the British influence) mushy peas. We got in line with the locals, because we were the only tourists in the place. Hot from the oven at 30 cents each, two or three of these will fill a stomach right up.

Visas

Today I took our 12 students to a government office in Valletta to get their visas that will allow them to be residents of Malta until the end of the term. Americans (and most anyone else in the world) can come to Europe for up to 90 days as tourists. To stay any longer requires permission.

Because of the refugee crisis in Europe -- a situation for which Malta was on the front lines when the main flow of refugees was coming out of North Africa just months ago -- the visa application process has tightened considerably. And the rules change with the wind.

Mary and I had gone through this already, because we arrived a couple weeks ahead of the students. It was stressful for us, and involved more than one trip to Valletta to get it all done. So this venture literally had me laying awake at night and my stomach churning. For the students, on the other hand, it was just another fun trip to Valletta!

We waited at a bus stop at the University. The electric sign first told us that the bus would be 13 minutes late. Then still later. Then it quit mentioning our bus number at all. It was getting late and I feared we would miss our appointment. So we hoofed it a fast quarter mile to another stop where the buses come by more frequently. We waited still longer, but finally caught one. Then we had to walk across Valletta at what the kids called "Nino Speed" to get to the office on time. We barely made it.

They told us the office was closed and they knew nothing of an appointment. My heart sank. But after awhile we were ushered into a waiting room and told that we would be seen. I went in with the first student. I had prepared identical paperwork for all 12, so I knew that if the first one made it through, they all would.

Success! All 12 applications are complete. Now we simply wait 6-8 weeks for notice that we can go back and claim the visas. Whew! I'm exhausted tonight, but a weight has been lifted.

On the way out of Valletta, we stopped at the Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck. Mary and I had visited earlier, but when we tried to take the students there, it had been closed because of the shipwreck festival and carnival activities. Today we got in.

The church is a stunning baroque basilica, and displays two cherished relics: The wrist bone of St. Paul and a piece of the stone on which Paul was beheaded. The history of such relics in Medieval Europe always makes me skeptical of such claims, and I'm not sure why one would pray to the wrist bone of a dead saint in any case, but the displays are intriguing.

Roman Holiday

Saint Valentine's Day in Rome: We were up for a 7:30 a.m. breakfast. Not so much our students. They were to meet us at 10 a.m. for our final walk around Rome. It was raining heavily when we awoke, and the internet hourly forecast said heavy rain and thunderstorms all morning, 100% chance. We were trying to come up with a "Plan B" activity.

But almost precisely at 10 a.m., when we were to set out, the rain stopped. As we walked, the clouds parted and blue skies prevailed. Do lead a charmed life, or what?

We walked to the Spanish Steps -- a monument in Rome I've never quite understood because, for all of the attention, poetry, romanticism, etc., in the end, they're just stairs.

From there it was a short walk to Trevi Fountain. The stonework has recently been cleaned, and all of the coal and diesel grime removed. It's an amazing piece of work. Although it was crowded, our students made their way down, and several managed the ritual of tossing in three coins over their shoulder.

A few students insisted they needed just one more photo at the Colosseum or the Forum, so they ran off while the rest of us headed back to the hotel. Our route took us right past the Pantheon, now closed for Sunday Mass. Police keep the tourists out during services, so we're glad we didn't wait until today to see it.

The van drivers were right on time to get us to the airport, and Air Malta was right on time to bring us home. Ivan, our van driver in Malta, tried to give us all a lesson in speaking Malti. I'm very glad most people here speak English, as well.

Our trip to Rome was wonderful, and the weather smiled on us particularly.

Third Day in Rome

Our guide, Nino, met us at the hotel a bit after 8 a.m. to begin our walk to the Colosseum and the Forum. Nino walks very fast, but he stops often to point out all sorts of interesting things along the way -- everything we pass, from fountains to Madonnas to oddly-shaped buildings. He has encyclopedic knowledge of Rome.

Had it not been for Nino, we'd have never guessed that our hotel sits only about 30 meters from the spot where Julius Caesar was assassinated, or how to properly drink from a Roman fountain (or that it is safe to do so). We wouldn't have known about the family histories of some of the large, often fairly plain buildings that are actually opulent palaces on the inside. And we certainly would not have wound our way through the narrow back streets to get where we were going.

Nino (right) looks out at the arena.

At the Colosseum, Nino assisted us in avoiding the longest of the lines (though there was still some waiting to get through the metal detectors). We had to make an advanced group reservation back in December, otherwise we might be waiting in a queue for days! He spent quite a bit of time explaining the construction and operation of the Colosseum, and the students were clearly getting antsy to actually to out and see the arena, rather than to talk about the structure.

After the long tease, however, they got to see it all. They were able to see it from a place a well-positioned spectator might have sat, from where the emperor sat, and from where the gladiators would have entered.

Next, it was time for the Forum. Even though they are the same site, with one ticket, one leaves the Colosseum and then must go through a completely different metal detector to enter the Forum. The line for this was well over two blocks long, but Nino took off walking to an alternative entrance where we practically walked right in. Saving us an hour or more in line was priceless.

Add caption

The weather for our visit to the Forum was absolutely phenomenal! On average, February in Rome is cloudy and rainy with highs in the mid-50sF. We had gorgeous clear blue skies with a temperature of 64F (near the all-time record high for the date of 66F).

Capitoline Hill

Our guided tour ended in the Forum, so we bid farewell to Nino and gave the students their free afternoon in Rome. Some remained in the Forum, others to museums, most went shopping. Mary and I climbed the Capitoline Hill for the view. We then set out walking toward Piazza Repubblica. Along the way we stopped for a light lunch and a cold beer at a sidewalk pub so that we could rest our legs.

Organ in one of the chapels of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri

At Repubblica, we visited the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, a basilica in the remains of a Roman-era public bath that was adapted into a church according to a design laid out by Michelangelo.

Bernini staircase: High altar above, Nativity relic below.

From there, we walked on to Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, a grand baroque church featuring too much art work to catalog here: A German group was in the crypt -- at the bottom of a staircase designed by the sculptor, Bernini, who is buried here -- adoring the relic of the true (or so it's claimed) manger of the Nativity. Mass was being prepared in the grand Borghese Chapel. And 5th century mosaics decorated the side chapels. Quite a place.

Borghese Chapel -- sorry for being off kilter, no photos allowed here, so had to get it on the fly.

We walked farther on to Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli (Saint Peter in Chains), where we not only got to see the chains that supposedly bound St. Peter while he was imprisoned in Rome, but we also got to see Michelangelo's marvelous statue of Moses. Fortunately, we arrived and got things seen and photographed a few minutes before the huge Japanese tour group arrived and crowded everyone else out of view of the Moses!

Moses, center stage.

We hoofed back across Rome to get back to the hotel. It had been an 8+ mile day of walking, but worth every step. We dined in a little, hole-in-the-wall fish restaurant that had been pointed out by Nino as "the best fried cod in Rome." It was good, but clearly Nino has not enjoyed fish and chips in England.

Rome, Day Two

We were up well before our students on Friday morning. After breakfast, we used the time to scout out our planned morning walk. I didn't want to repeat the previous day's problem of being unprepared to navigate.

We located the Jewish Ghetto area of Rome via paper map without difficulty, and found all of the sites in the area highlighted by our guidebook. We then returned to the hotel for a bit of relaxation until the students caught up with us.

We led the group back to the Ghetto and the mini-lectures on the way went well. Students then had some free time, and most returned to the excavated Roman ruins, rather than focusing on the 20th century history here. We almost lost one, who wandered into a shop and lost track of time. But in the end, we got everyone back to the hotel.

At 11:30 a.m. we met our hired guide, Nino (ninoknows.com). Nino is quite a guy -- extremely knowledgeable and with considerable stamina. He is one of the few people who walks even faster than I when leading a group, and some of those with short legs were running to keep up! But he stopped frequently, pointing out things that might have otherwise gone unnoticed, and sharing a wealth of information about Rome.

Nino got us to the Vatican Museum exactly on time for our group reservation entry, got us equipped with radio receivers so that we could hear him amid the crowds, and helped us avoid the longest lines. He pointed out salient features of the Museum and got us all into the Sistine Chapel -- always an awsome place, even on this, my third visit.

We entered St. Peter's Basilica via the "Holy Door" that is only open during the "Holy Year of Mercy" declared by Pope Francis. Students were getting tired, but still hung in for Michelangelo's Pieta. But by the time we reached the high altar, their brains were fried. I sort of had to intervene to get Nino to wrap up, or he could have gone on for hours more. He is very passionate about these sites.

Some of the group elected to remain in the area of the Vatican to look around on their own. Most followed us back to the hotel. After resting up a bit, we had a very nice meal at a little restaurant not far away, but off the beaten track. We appeared to be the only Americans in the place.

We didn't walk as far today as yesterday, but standing to listen is perhaps even more tiring. We were ready for bed early, as there is more touring in store tomorrow.

When in Rome...

This week we took our group on their first Mediterranean excursion, to Rome. The van picked us up at 5:30 a.m. -- a popular time for college students -- zipped through streets with no traffic and breezed through check-in and security at a mostly empty airport. The flight to Rome from Malta was less than an hour and a half.

I had booked a van service to pick us up at the airport and deliver us to our first stop, Ostia Antica. These are the ruins of a Roman city which, 2,000 years ago, was located at the mouth (ostium) of the River Tiber. It was first a naval base, protecting Rome from invasion by sea.

However, once Rome controlled the entire Mediterranean, there was no longer an invasion threat. Instead, there was a great need for grain to feed the swelling population of the city. Bread and circuses kept the emporers in power. Ostia was the port where grain was imported to supply the bread.

At it's peak, Ostia was a city of more than 100,000 people -- primarily merchants, traders, and longshoremen. But by the time Rome fell, it wasn't even important enough to be sacked by the invading Goths and Vandals. Abandoned, the Tiber covered it in silt during floods. Thus, the foundations were well preserved.

While only about 3/5ths of Ostia have been excavated, it is a huge, sprawling site that gives a very vivid impression of what daily life must have been like for common Romans.

The plan was to take the train and other mass transit from Ostia into the city of Rome and our hotel. I knew this was going to be the hardest part of the trip, because we hadn't been able to scout Ostia and see just how to get there. It turned out to be every bit as stressful as I had imagined.

I was also relying on Google Maps for up-to-the-minute information on train and bus schedules, and for some reason, I couldn't get data on my phone. A wrong turn meant we walked three times as far as necessary to reach the rail station. The rail station was unmanned, so I had to deal with a ticket machine that wouldn't take credit cards. We had to get 14 people all on a train together, and off again. The rail station and the metro station we needed are in the same place, but had different names, etc.

We wound up walking a very long way across central Rome instead of taking the bus, as planned. But we eventually reached our hotel.

In the evening, we visited the Pantheon and the Four Rivers Fountain, plus some churches and other sites in the surrounding area. Then we enjoyed a group meal at a local restaurant. It was a long day of walking, and we were ready for a good night's rest.