Għar Dalam
Location | Birżebbuġa, Malta |
---|---|
Coordinates | 35°50′11.1″N 14°31′40.9″E / 35.836417°N 14.528028°E |
Type | Cave |
Length | 144m |
History | |
Material | Limestone |
Founded | c. 5200 BC |
Periods | Għar Dalam phase |
Site notes | |
Ownership | Government of Malta |
Management | Heritage Malta |
Public access | Yes |
Website | Heritage Malta |
Għar Dalam ("Cave of Dalam" (a fifteenth century family name), IPA:
Dwarf elephant, hippopotamus, giant swan, deer and bear bone deposits found there are of different ages; the hippopotamuses became extinct about 10,000 years ago, whilst the deer species became extinct much later, about 4000 years ago during the Chalcolithic.[4] It is also here that the earliest evidence of human settlement on Malta, some 7,400 years ago, was discovered.
Recent history
The cave was first investigated for its
The cave was included on the Antiquities List of 1925,[6] but was not opened to the public until March 1933.[7] A museum was set up on site by the then-Curator of Natural History, Joseph Baldacchino. Within a year of his appointment as curator in 1935, Baldacchino published a booklet on Għar Dalam, highlighting the main excavations and investigations of the cave.[7] The museum was slowly upgraded, new specimens replacing the old, and a labelling system set in place.[7]
The showcases around the walls of the Għar Dalam museum house skeletal remains found in the cave.[5] These are organised by species and type. The showcases in the centre of the museum's room contain complete skeletons of modern examples of deer, elephant and other species.[5] These were not found in the cave, but imported as reference specimens for the use of scholars working on the fossil examples.[5]
It was used as an air-raid shelter during World War II. In 1980, the most important and irreplaceable relics—such as four tusks of dwarf elephants and the skull of a Neolithic child—were stolen from the museum.
The cave is some 144 metres (472 ft) deep but only the first 50 metres (160 ft) are accessible to visitors. The museum, which still exhibits a remarkable wealth of finds from animal bones to human artifacts, is the entrance to the whole area.
Għar Dalam Cave and Museum is operated by
Stratigraphy
The cave consists of six layers.[9]
- Domestic animal layer (c. 74 cm). This layer has mainly cultivated animals in it, such as cows, horses and sheep/goats. Human remains, like pottery, flints, tools and ornaments or amulets are present here.
- Calcareous sheet (c. 0.6 cm).
- Deer Layer (c. 175 cm). The dwarf deer found in this layer are derived from the red deer (Cervus elaphus). Small numbers of carnivores are known from this layer, namely brown bear, red fox and wolf. Also big swans, giant turtles and voles are found.
- Pebble layer (c. 35 cm). This layer consists completely of small boulders and pebbles. They are indicators of a river that streamed through the cave. The stones are quite large, as it was a fast-flowing river.
- Hippopotamus layer (c. 120 cm). This layer consists of mainly Hippopotamus melitensis. Other species found are dwarf elephant and the giant dormouse Leithia cartei.
- Bone-Free clay layer (c. 125 cm). No bones found in this layer, only some impressions of plant material
Notes
- [A].^ Buhagiar (2007) notes that the name Għar Dalam does not mean the 'Cave of Darkness,' but the 'Cave of Dalam,' or 'of the Dalam family.'[10] The surname Dalam is attested in 15th century records.[10]
References
- ^ S2CID 86821557.
- ISBN 978-9993271444.
- ISBN 0521086914.
- ^ J.D. Evans The Prehistoric Antiquities of the Maltese Islands p. 241
- ^ a b c d "Ghar Dalam museum". Times of Malta. 25 November 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ "Protection of Antiquities Regulations 21st November, 1932 Government Notice 402 of 1932, as Amended by Government Notices 127 of 1935 and 338 of 1939". Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016.
- ^ ISBN 9042917032.
- ^ Agius, Monique (6 February 2019). "Prehistoric bones accidentally unearthed at Għar Dalam". Newsbook. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
- ^ George Zammit Maempel, 1989. Għar Dalam Cave and Deposits
- ^ ISBN 978-1407301099.
External links
- National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
- Description of cave
- Għar Dalam Cave and Museum Archived 6 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine - Visit Malta