A set of four stamps featuring Maltese prehistoric sculptures is being issued by the Philatelic Bureau of Maltapost plc on Wednesday.
The stamps, which come in four values, have been designed by Josian Bonello using images photographed by Daniel Cilia, and are offset printed by Printex Limited of Qormi on Maltese Crosses watermarked paper. The stamps come in a size of 44.0 X 31.0mm, with a perforation of 13.9 X 14 (comb).
The stamps carry both decimal and euro denominations, these being 15c / euro
0.35, 29c / euro 0.68, 60c / euro 1.40, and Lm1.50 / euro 3.49.
Five thousand years ago, the Maltese archipelago was in the middle of one of the most remarkable cultural developments that took place during the prehistory of the Mediterranean.
The inhabitants developed art forms that were distinctive, even unique. Working with the humble materials that the islands had to offer, they produced the unprecedented buildings that are known today as the Megalithic Temples of Malta. Extraordinary in their sophistication, these monumental buildings have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Within these buildings, a diverse array of carved and moulded images has been discovered, which at once gives intimate glimpses of Malta's inhabitants around 5,000 years ago, and at the same time is a reminder how little still is known about these people. What is known for sure is that they were accomplished artists, who have left a rare and precious patrimony of prehistoric images.
The head depicted on the 15c / euro 0.35 stamp formed part of a full figure that was discovered by Sir Themistocles Zammit during his epic excavations of the Tarxien Temples, which revolutionised the understanding of Maltese prehistory. Though often referred to as a priest, the identity of the figure may never be known. Nevertheless, the carefully groomed hairstyle is a reminder of the sophistication of Malta's prehistoric inhabitants.
The soft Globigerina Limestone of the Maltese archipelago is very suitable for carving and sculpture. In spite of their limited toolkit, the Neolithic islanders became masters of stone carving, producing sculptures that remain unsurpassed in their effortless elegance and enigmatic sophistication. Very often, they represented themes from the surrounding environment, such as the series of silhouettes from Tarxien shown on the 29c / euro 0.68 stamp, showing animals that were probably domesticated.
Some of the low-relief sculptures that have come down show mysterious designs that are difficult to decipher with certainty, such as the series of spirals depicted on the 60c / euro 1.40 stamp. They are often described as abstract patterns whose main purpose was decoration rather than representation. It is equally possible that they too refer to specific elements in nature, such as water or the sea, which played such an important role in the life of the islanders.
The miniature clay statuette on the Lm1.50 / euro 3.49 stamp shows a naked, erect female figure. This statuette was discovered during the excavation of Hagar Qim in 1839. Despite its small size, the figure is superbly moulded, and is an eloquent document of an ageing female body. It remains a mystery if figures such as this represented living individuals, ancestors, mythical figures or even divinities. This clay figure returns the gaze of the modern viewer across five millennia, and still leaves the beholder awestruck by its quiet dignity.
The set will be available in First Day Cover and mint and cancelled formats, and as a Souvenir Folder and Presentation Pack, from all Maltapost postal retail outlets and from the Philatelic Bureau (tel. 2123 9153, e-mail [email protected]). Additional details are obtainable from the Maltapost website, www.maltapost.com