Neolithic Ritual on the Island Archipelago of Malta

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This is an impressive and very interesting paper which covers a wide range of approaches and a great deal of material from both Malta and beyond and which ranges between the past and the present in a thought-provoking and often provocative way. For the reader not closely familiar with the topic it brings together the data and the surrounding debates in a very comprehensive and useful way and provides much useful food for thought.

Author Response

This is an impressive and very interesting paper which covers a wide range of approaches and a great deal of material from both Malta and beyond and which ranges between the past and the present in a thought-provoking and often provocative way. For the reader not closely familiar with the topic it brings together the data and the surrounding debates in a very comprehensive and useful way and provides much useful food for thought.

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Overall this is a strong paper that both summarizes the evidence and previous scholarship while promoting new interpretations. The 'Crazy Islander Syndrome' is a well-documented phenomenon, as the author(s) state. To consider Neolithic Malta on three scales is a productive approach and mirrors the differences in scale found in artifacts of all types.

The only substantial issue I have is this: there is a question stated in the introduction that I don't think is answered by the end: "Do islands as different in size and isolation as Easter Island and Sardinia have something physically or biogeographically in common that transcends time or is the comparison more in the mind, a social construction of reality, heavily dependent on the socio-political context in which they are situated?" Perhaps this was meant as a rhetorical question or intended to frame the discussion of Malta within wider considerations of crazy islanders. It should probably be clarified in a few words whether this is a question that will be or can be answered with the current evidence (since it doesn't seem to be answered by this article). Or, if there is something here that was intended to answer this question, draw more attention to it.

One thing I would have included is some figures.  The descriptions of the temples would have been much easier to follow with plans, and there should at the very least be a map of the islands showing sites mentioned in the text. Some images or drawings of ritual objects would also be helpful.

Referencing overall is sufficient though some of the work cited is quite out of date.  This is in some ways inevitable when giving a literature review on a particular archaeological area, since there are over 200 years of archaeology in the Mediterranean and Near East.  Sahlins' work is foundational and well worth noting.  It would then be good to cite something contemporary, as theory has come a long way in the past few decades.  The citation of Sahlins is indeed followed by a sentence beginning 'More recent work...' but then cites something from 1991.  Other citations from 1960-2020 follow.  A few things lack citation and need it: the mention of 'Braudelian terms' under the subheading 'Scale and Ritual' and for the term 'glocalized' at the very end.  The sentence on page 4, "New research by Italian and Anglo-Maltese scholars have detected a new pottery style at the end of the Neolithic period which seems to suggest incoming groups, most probably the product of more advanced navigational skills." likewise needs a citation and also a remark that pots don't equal people.

I'm guessing this was not written by a native English speaker, but the prose is acceptable. The paragraphs are way too long, however.  A new paragraph should be struck halfway through all the long ones.

Small type errors occur throughout.  A listing follows.

In the title, should it be 'islands' (plural) of Malta since Gozo is also considered?

In the abstract,'Neoltihic' is misspelled.

In the abstract, there is an extraneous period after the word 'landscape' and a missing comma after the word 'followed.'

In the abstract, the acronym FRAGSUS is mentioned.  This needs to be spelled out in full and its director(s) named.  Additionally, anyone who gave you unpublished information or access to sites should be thanked in Acknowledgements.

In the introduction, 'biogeographically' is not a word. It needs a hyphen after 'bio'.

In the introduction, 'socio-political' should be one word.

At the beginning of the paragraph under the heading 'The relationship between past and present', the word following 'the late Marshall Sahlins' should be 'is,' not 'in.'

On page 2, the sentence beginning "Grima (2016b) that this fractal quality..." ought to have some other word in place of 'that,' possibly 'thought'?

On page 4, the sentence "By contrast, tor the study of prehistoric religion,..." contains the non-word 'tor'. Perhaps 'for'?

On page 5, the sentence "The classic example one again is the paired structures of Ggantija" seems to need 'one' replaced with 'once.'

At the bottom of page 6, the sentence "Both share elements of the Tarxien dress style which..." needs a comma after 'style'.  Always a comma before 'which' and no comma before 'that'.

On page 7, the phrase "a canoe shaped grindstone..." should have a hyphen between 'canoe' and 'shaped'.

On page 8, the citation "(Mack 2007, 72)" should have a colon instead of a comma.

On page 8, there are two extraneous commas.  One is in the phrase "Full representations of the human form, range..." and one in the phrase "This brief analysis of the permutations of scale, shows..."

On page 8/9, the sentence "One example took an exterior perspective of a one apsed structure." should have a hyphen between 'one' and 'apsed.'

On page 9, a hyphen is needed in the phrase "the liturgical artefacts seem to have been deliberately back filled" between 'back' and 'filled.'

On page 9, the phrase "A combination of a factors appears..." has an extraneous 'a.'

Club house is written both as two words (more commonly) and then as one word in the final paragraph and on page 5, 6, and 8.

In the references, the citation for Stoddart, S. & Malone, C. 2018 appears in a larger font.

In the references, the citation "Zammit, T. 1929." seems to be separated from the previous reference by an extra space.

Author Response

Overall this is a strong paper that both summarizes the evidence and previous scholarship while promoting new interpretations. The 'Crazy Islander Syndrome' is a well-documented phenomenon, as the author(s) state. To consider Neolithic Malta on three scales is a productive approach and mirrors the differences in scale found in artifacts of all types.

The only substantial issue I have is this: there is a question stated in the introduction that I don't think is answered by the end: "Do islands as different in size and isolation as Easter Island and Sardinia have something physically or biogeographically in common that transcends time or is the comparison more in the mind, a social construction of reality, heavily dependent on the socio-political context in which they are situated?" Perhaps this was meant as a rhetorical question or intended to frame the discussion of Malta within wider considerations of crazy islanders. It should probably be clarified in a few words whether this is a question that will be or can be answered with the current evidence (since it doesn't seem to be answered by this article). Or, if there is something here that was intended to answer this question, draw more attention to it.

THE ARTICLE HAS BEEN TOPPED AND TAILED TO RESPOND TO THIS.

One thing I would have included is some figures.  The descriptions of the temples would have been much easier to follow with plans, and there should at the very least be a map of the islands showing sites mentioned in the text. Some images or drawings of ritual objects would also be helpful.

ALWAYS INTENDED AND NOW IMPLEMENTED

Referencing overall is sufficient though some of the work cited is quite out of date.  This is in some ways inevitable when giving a literature review on a particular archaeological area, since there are over 200 years of archaeology in the Mediterranean and Near East. 

A FEW MORE REFERENCES HAVE BEEN ADDED

 Sahlins' work is foundational and well worth noting.  It would then be good to cite something contemporary, as theory has come a long way in the past few decades.  The citation of Sahlins is indeed followed by a sentence beginning 'More recent work...' but then cites something from 1991.  CORRECTED. Other citations from 1960-2020 follow.  A few things lack citation and need it: the mention of 'Braudelian terms' under the subheading 'Scale and Ritual' and for the term 'glocalized' at the very end.  REFERENCES ADDED The sentence on page 4, "New research by Italian and Anglo-Maltese scholars have detected a new pottery style at the end of the Neolithic period which seems to suggest incoming groups, most probably the product of more advanced navigational skills." likewise needs a citation and also a remark that pots don't equal people. THIS HAS BEEN MODIFIED

I'm guessing this was not written by a native English speaker, but the prose is acceptable. The paragraphs are way too long, however.  A new paragraph should be struck halfway through all the long ones.

I THINK THIS REVIEW IS BY A NON EUROPEAN ENGLISH SPEAKER!

Small type errors occur throughout.  A listing follows.

In the title, should it be 'islands' (plural) of Malta since Gozo is also considered?

CHANGED TO ARCHIPELAGO

In the abstract,'Neoltihic' is misspelled

CORRECTED

In the abstract, there is an extraneous period after the word 'landscape' and a missing comma after the word 'followed.'

CORRECTED

In the abstract, the acronym FRAGSUS is mentioned.  This needs to be spelled out in full and its director(s) named.  Additionally, anyone who gave you unpublished information or access to sites should be thanked in Acknowledgements.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EXTENDED

In the introduction, 'biogeographically' is not a word. It needs a hyphen after 'bio'.

LOOK AT OED!

In the introduction, 'socio-political' should be one word.

LOOK AT OED, NOT DED (DETROIT ENGLISH DICTIONARY)

At the beginning of the paragraph under the heading 'The relationship between past and present', the word following 'the late Marshall Sahlins' should be 'is,' not 'in.'

CORRECTED

On page 2, the sentence beginning "Grima (2016b) that this fractal quality..." ought to have some other word in place of 'that,' possibly 'thought'?

CORRECTED

On page 4, the sentence "By contrast, tor the study of prehistoric religion,..." contains the non-word 'tor'. Perhaps 'for'?

CORRECTED

On page 5, the sentence "The classic example one again is the paired structures of Ggantija" seems to need 'one' replaced with 'once.'

CORRECTED

At the bottom of page 6, the sentence "Both share elements of the Tarxien dress style which..." needs a comma after 'style'.  Always a comma before 'which' and no comma before 'that'.

CORRECTED

On page 7, the phrase "a canoe shaped grindstone..." should have a hyphen between 'canoe' and 'shaped'.

CORRECTED

On page 8, the citation "(Mack 2007, 72)" should have a colon instead of a comma.

CORRECTED TO ACTUAL HOUSE STYLE WHICH APPEARS TO BE P.

 

On page 8, there are two extraneous commas.  One is in the phrase "Full representations of the human form, range..." and one in the phrase "This brief analysis of the permutations of scale, shows..."

CORRECTED

On page 8/9, the sentence "One example took an exterior perspective of a one apsed structure." should have a hyphen between 'one' and 'apsed.'

CORRECTED

On page 9, a hyphen is needed in the phrase "the liturgical artefacts seem to have been deliberately back filled" between 'back' and 'filled.'

CORRECTED

On page 9, the phrase "A combination of a factors appears..." has an extraneous 'a.'

CORRECTED

Club house is written both as two words (more commonly) and then as one word in the final paragraph and on page 5, 6, and 8.

CORRECTED

In the references, the citation for Stoddart, S. & Malone, C. 2018 appears in a larger font.

CORRECTED

In the references, the citation "Zammit, T. 1929." seems to be separated from the previous reference by an extra space.

CORRECTED

Reviewer 3 Report

This article presents a review of information and various approaches to club-house structures in Malta. The theme is important and interesting perspectives are summarized, but the article needs to be reformulated: 1. No images are presented. It would be essential to include a distribution map as well as some plans/pictures of the structures. 2. The abstract does not correctly summarize the article, including here information that should go to the acknowledgments. 3. There is no clear formulation of objectives and methods, even though it is supposed to be a review. 4. The presentation of the state of the art is disseminated throughout the article, it should have a starting point of integration and then focus on the discussion. 5. The various approaches mentioned: ethnography, time, space are not properly crossed in the conclusions.

Author Response

This article presents a review of information and various approaches to club-house structures in Malta. The theme is important and interesting perspectives are summarized, but the article needs to be reformulated: 1. No images are presented. It would be essential to include a distribution map as well as some plans/pictures of the structures. DONE. ALWAYS INTENDED AND NOW IMPLEMENTED. 2. The abstract does not correctly summarize the article, including here information that should go to the acknowledgments. I THINK IT DOES. AN EXTRA SENTENCE IS ALSO ADDED> THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO SELF HAVE BEEN EXTENDED 3. There is no clear formulation of objectives and methods, even though it is supposed to be a review.  SOME POINTERS HAVE BEEN INSERTED AT THE BEGINNING AND END. 4. The presentation of the state of the art is disseminated throughout the article, it should have a starting point of integration and then focus on the discussion. I SEE NO OBJECTION TO THIS STRUCTURE. 5. The various approaches mentioned: ethnography, time, space are not properly crossed in the conclusions. A SEPARATE CONCLUSION HAS BEEN ADDED.

 

 

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

The minor changes made have generally improved the structure of the article. The suggestions made  in the review have generally been followed.