VISIT 1
Date: 22/10/13
Establishment:
The Fortress Builders (Valletta)
Fortifications interpretation Centre
Today my classmate Aaron and I went to 'The Fortress Builders' which is situated in Valletta. Having known that individually we needed to provide different information (as part of this task) we decided to each select sections of the building and work on them individually (even though we chose the same place/establishment).
As I mentioned before my Colleague Aaron and I decided to split up and focus on different parts of this exhibition. In fact I took 1 room and him the other. Each room was split up into 12 sections and below are the 12 that I have focused on.
As I mentioned before my Colleague Aaron and I decided to split up and focus on different parts of this exhibition. In fact I took 1 room and him the other. Each room was split up into 12 sections and below are the 12 that I have focused on.
(1) BRONZE AGE CITADELS & FORTIFIED HILLTOPS
The first known fortified settlements were built around 1,200 BC. Through archaeological investigation, it was found out that traces of Bronze Age fortified settlements were evident on naturally defensible hilltop sites. These settlements were found at: Mtarfa, Bahrija, in-Nuffara (Gozo), Ras-il-Gebel (Ghajn Tuffieha), Wardija ta San Gorg (Siggiewi), and il-Qala Hill (St Paul's Bay).
(2) BORG IN NADUR - BRONZE AGE CITADEL
Borg in-Nadur, which is known as the "fortress on the hill" is known to be the oldest man-made fortification. The little that remains of this fortification is situated on the southern part of the island in Marsaxlokk Bay. Eventhough not much is left of this fortification, unearthed archaeological remains seem to suggest that this was once a great hilltop settlement surrounded by thick walls and bastions.
(3) ROMAN FORTIFICATIONS
Remains of Roman Fortifications are evident in various parts of Malta. For instance, A Roman statue of "Julia Augusta" which is inserted in a niche in the medieval walls of the Gozo castle.
Other areas include:
Roman hard-stone surface quarries next to Dingli,
Remains of Punic fortification wall at Mdina and Roman column drums that were re-used in the medieval ramparts of Mdina.
Other areas include:
Roman hard-stone surface quarries next to Dingli,
Remains of Punic fortification wall at Mdina and Roman column drums that were re-used in the medieval ramparts of Mdina.
(4) Medieval Castra
Mdina Caslte
Mdina's land front was protected by a ditch a double wall stiffened with a number of towers and a castle. The castle layout is still unclear but the city ramparts consisted of a system of double walls with a main inner wall protected by a lower "fauasebraye" and outer wall. Most of the main wall was dismantled and its stone work used to construct the parapets of the new revetment which was grafted onto the face of the medieval ante-mural during the later "hospitallier" period.
Below is a link to a website that has some information regarding Medieval Coat of Arms in Mdina:
(5) Mahras and Dejma
By the late middle ages, the Maltese defense system of revolved around 3 "castral" strong holds, a few towers and a huge militia. In fact Mahras and Dejma were part of this defense system.
"Mahras" - A coastal watch
"Dejma" - Militia army
Some of the "Mahras" (1417 AD) that are known are the following:
Mdina,
Mgarr Lippija,
Ghajn Tuffieha,
Ghajn Razul,
San Pawl il-Bahar,
Bugibba,
San Gorg,
Iz-Zonqor,
Sant Iermu.
(6) A Hospitaller Fortress
With the arrival of the Knights of St John in Malta in 1530, a chain reaction of completely fortifying the island took place. The Knights saw Malta as the perfect place to set up their lines of defense mainly due to its excellent natural harbor (great naval possibilities) The main military fortifications were built just a few years before the 'Great Siege' of 1565.
(7) The Gozo Citadel
When the Knights first came to the Maltese Islands, they traveled to Gozo as well and found that a small, round, old castle had already been in place (where the Citadella would eventually come into existence). After a few attacks on this castle (over a few years), it took quite a while until it was finally fortified by the Knights in 1622.
(8) Scarps and Revetments
Fortress walls in the Hospitaller fortifications were built up of local stone or bedrock. In most cases, the ramparts were a combination of both. The sloping outer walls had two important functions to perform. One was to withstand the battering action of artillery bombardment and the other was that it had to be robust enough to keep in safe equilibrium the masses of earth behind it. Thus the rampart wall served as a revetment (retaining wall). The stability and effectiveness of the revetment wall itself depended both on its thickness and on the gradient of its external batter (the terrain/earth).
(9) From Rock to Bastion: Shaping the Bastioned Fortress
The process of building a bastion in Malta was a very lengthy one. Firstly and most importantly, the ground beneath which a bastion would eventually be built needed to hold good solid foundations (in Malta's rocky terrain). Once a good location was found out, a layer would have been added onto the already existing land to make it more durable and strong. After that, a border of the selected area/place would be mapped out in order to create a sort of 'blue print' of the perimeter of the soon to be bastion. Now what needed to be done was to dig out the ground and this is how height of the bastions was achieved (meaning that the strength of the bastions was due to the fact that its walls were the Maltese terrain itself). Obviously once the ground was all dug out, all that was left was to reinforce the upper levels of the walls.
(10) Valletta
Valletta, built by the Knights of St John, was named after the great Grand-master : La Vallette. Its main purpose was to care for injured soldiers and pilgrims during the Crusades (16th century). Due to its great position on the island (and harbor area), Valletta would prove to be the perfect place to build great bastions and fortifications. The project to start building up Valletta began in 1566 with a lot of time and perseverance having gone into creating strong bastions and the city as a whole. Unfortunately La Vallette, who planned out the idea to build a great city, died in 1568 just two years after the project began. Pietro del Monte, his successor, took over after his death and worked at it until it was finished in 1571. It was at this time that the knights moved their quarters from Vittoriosa (in Birgu) to their new capital city.
(11) Bastioned Cities of Europe
Widespread across Europe, the following below is a link to a website that provides some background information about some important fortified cities across the continent.
(12) The Work Force
The workforce, that helped build the bastions/fortified towns/cities (thus those who helped the Knights) consisted of two types of craftsman:
The skilled craftsman: Masons, quarry-men, and wall builders.
The unskilled craftsman: Those that were either forced to work hard labour, or those who were told to be the transporters of earth and stone (they were paid on a daily basis).
References: Notes taken directly from Images taken and also from individual that gave my colleague and I small tour around the facility.
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The skilled craftsman: Masons, quarry-men, and wall builders.
The unskilled craftsman: Those that were either forced to work hard labour, or those who were told to be the transporters of earth and stone (they were paid on a daily basis).
PERSONAL THOUGHTS
Many things can be said about this well organised 'museum of fortifications'. First of all I really thought that the whole establishment was astonishing; the immense amount of effort, hard work and dedication it must have taken to come out with such a brilliant result must have been colossal. Another thing that I really liked was that this building had 3 stories, and that each story held something different (different information about fortifications).
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| First Floor (Overview of what it looks like) |
The first floor; as can be seen in the above image was very simple and plain yet very effective due to the fact that (on either side of the room) there were two huge billboards that gave a brief history of fortifications. There was also a set of 'building block's that is available for kids. I quite liked this in fact since by doing so, the museum has undertaken the responsibility that this building would also be appealing towards the younger generation (kids).
The following images are models of fortified cities/buildings
All 3 of the above images were quite, in my opinion, brilliantly put together. Again; time, patience and effort was obviously needed but after that a great result was attained (as can be seen).
My overall opinion of this establishment was 10/10. I did not even know that such an establishment of such high esteem existed in Malta. The models of the fortifications are just incredibly precise, the billboards are very informative and the place in general is neat, tidy and well kept.
My overall opinion of this establishment was 10/10. I did not even know that such an establishment of such high esteem existed in Malta. The models of the fortifications are just incredibly precise, the billboards are very informative and the place in general is neat, tidy and well kept.
References: Notes taken directly from Images taken and also from individual that gave my colleague and I small tour around the facility.
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VISIT 2
Date: 02/11/13
Establishment: St.James Cavalier
Exhibition: "4 ROOMS" by Ritty Tacsum
Exhibition: "4 ROOMS" by Ritty Tacsum
Today, for Kevin Casha's lesson, we all met up in Valletta and went to St.James Cavalier. Mr Casha took us to the exhibition: "4Rooms" by Ritty Tacsum and gave us the task of: INTERPRETATION. We were asked to browse the contents of the exhibition with the intention, that at the end, we would be able to draw up personal opinions regarding the artist and her exhibition.
Ritty Tacsum's Exhibition consisted of (as the title suggests): 4 Rooms and each one about a different category.
The rooms were as follows:
The following are some of the images that were found in this section of the exhibition:
The following are some of the images that were found in this section of the exhibition:
The following are some of the images that were found in this section of the exhibition:
The following are some of the images that were found in this section of the exhibition:
Ritty Tacsum's Exhibition consisted of (as the title suggests): 4 Rooms and each one about a different category.
The rooms were as follows:
IN MY HEART
The following are some of the images that were found in this section of the exhibition:
IN MY MIND
The following are some of the images that were found in this section of the exhibition:
IN MY BODY
The following are some of the images that were found in this section of the exhibition:
ON MY SKIN
The following are some of the images that were found in this section of the exhibition:
At first glance, the whole exhibition seemed to be a little confusing, however after going through each room
and trying to analyze the contents of each one, I began to form
impressions and thoughts about the exhibition.
It seems to me that each room was related to a different event or characteristic pertaining to her own character. For instance; in the room entitled: "IN MY BODY", there seems to be an element which is rather psychedelic and can be connected to drug use (LSD perhaps) hence the colours.
I also think that in other sections, the artist is trying to explain that she is either comfortable or else unsure of her sexuality; hence the naked images.
There also seems to be a reference towards the MALE (men in general) and in fact it is to my belief that the artist has trust issues (with men) and might have had some bad experiences with men too. The male seems to be depicted as a "Male Chauvinist Pig" (also depicted in one particular image) and this could further suggest that she thinks men in general are "disgusting animals" who use and abuse women.
Overall, the whole exhibition shows me that Ritty Tacsum is very creative and really bares a lot of emotion and perhaps sadness, loneliness and resentment. The fact that she used 4 Rooms in order to try to describe herself and her experiences is quite creative and interesting.
It seems to me that each room was related to a different event or characteristic pertaining to her own character. For instance; in the room entitled: "IN MY BODY", there seems to be an element which is rather psychedelic and can be connected to drug use (LSD perhaps) hence the colours.
I also think that in other sections, the artist is trying to explain that she is either comfortable or else unsure of her sexuality; hence the naked images.
There also seems to be a reference towards the MALE (men in general) and in fact it is to my belief that the artist has trust issues (with men) and might have had some bad experiences with men too. The male seems to be depicted as a "Male Chauvinist Pig" (also depicted in one particular image) and this could further suggest that she thinks men in general are "disgusting animals" who use and abuse women.
Overall, the whole exhibition shows me that Ritty Tacsum is very creative and really bares a lot of emotion and perhaps sadness, loneliness and resentment. The fact that she used 4 Rooms in order to try to describe herself and her experiences is quite creative and interesting.
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