Gordon E. Weston will be addressing a talk on Għar il-Kbir (the Great Cave) today in Naxxar.

There are many troglodytes in Malta. They dig caves and these are their homes”. So wrote Jean Quintin d’Autun after his visit to the Maltese islands in 1533. Indeed, a study of minor place names indicates there may have been around 90 natural or man-made caves that might have been used for domiciliary or religious-cult purposes.

Għar Dalam in Birżebbuġa aside, the Great Cave in the limits of Dingli is by far the most well-known for its use over the centuries as a place of human habitation. Although the cave was in all probability originally a natural karst solution void, no trace of such origin remains today. In fact, what can be seen of it shows it to be a complex of rock-cut (man-made) interconnecting caves.

The Great Cave has not as yet received archaeological attention, so, in contrast to Għar Dalam, it is not known if the cave was used for shelter by prehistoric people. Nevertheless, there is strong circumstantial evidence suggesting use of the cave, at least in part, during very early historic times.

In recent times, it has received a considerable amount of attention from leading Maltese scholars and it is thanks to their efforts that a lot is known about it and those who frequented it during the early modern period.

Weston will be talking about the Great Cave’s place in Maltese history. He will be drawing on the work of many scholars to present a synthesis of several different strands of thought about this mysterious place, looking at the socioeconomic realities of life in this cave over the centuries. Weston is the author of The Maltese Cart Ruts: Unraveling an Enigma and Clapham Junction: 3000 years of Maltese Heritage.

■ The talk is being held today at Hilltop Gardens in Naxxar at 6.30pm. Refreshments will be served after the talk. For more information, visit www.faa.org.mt.

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