![]() Therefore, despite the Roman period focus of this edited volume, this article takes a long-term view of two rural areas to illustrate identifiable landscape uses and changes. In seeking to provide an islandscape-based narrative, this article seeks to show that the Maltese Islands experienced periods of more intense human occupation that would have inevitably impacted the agriculturally viable areas of Ta' Qali and ix-Xarolla. ![]() ![]() These two areas have offered some evidence, through intermittent discoveries from recent construction activities, of three broad periods of increased landscape manipulation and transformation during the Middle-Late Bronze Age, Roman, and Early Modern periods. In the spirit of this edited volume, the present article seeks to provide a broader chronological view of two rural areas in the larger island of Malta: Ta' Qali and ix-Xarolla. However, emphasis on the prehistoric periods of the archipelago runs the risk of creating a biased focus with limited engagement in successive periods. Settlement patterns and farming methods changed forever - and these changes still affect what we can see in the landscape today.The archaeological study of the Maltese Islands has received considerable scholarly attention in regard to its island settings and long-term human occupation. These events meant the end of an old way of life. This managed to fill in some of the gaps in counties that had received less attention in the early years of research for example lists were made of Lancashire and Middlesex which had no known deserted settlements in 1968. Despite the uncertainty, one thing is clear. After the publication of Deserted Medieval Villages in 1971, the listing of deserted sites continued. Since written sources are scarce we may never know the precise story for each settlement. In fact, there are many reasons for deserted villages. In less productive agricultural areas, the reduced population meant that it was no longer necessary to farm the poorer land. Sometimes a village population simply dropped away to zero as people moved elsewhere in search of work. The decline in population was not always so sudden though. Deer meat, venison, was a very high status food and therefore a profitable source of income. Deer were hunted or sometimes caught in nets. Other agricultural spaces were converted to parkland and used for keeping deer. Just one shepherd could tend many sheep and wool exporting was becoming a very profitable business. Many landowners forced the remaining villagers out to make way for the sheep. Some found an answer in replacing two-legged occupants with four-legged ones. ![]() To avoid these costs big landowners sought ways to use their land that did not need so many workers. After the Black Death, the remaining agricultural labourers were in high demand and their wages rose. The 14th century was certainly a tough time.īut there were other factors in the medieval period that led to declining populations and villages becoming abandoned. It followed a series of poor summers and bad harvests that caused widespread starvation. The Black Death (1348-50) was a plague that killed around 40% of England’s population. When the deserted villages were first investigated in the mid-20th century, the cause was often thought to be the Black Death. What caused people to abandon their homes and communities? ![]()
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