Daily life in prehistoric times

A visit to an archaeological site usually entails roaming about aimlessly trying to make heads or tails of the remains or, at the other extreme, having to endure an endless ramble by somebody who has learnt the speech by heart.

Wanting to avoid either scenario, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna will on Sunday be organising interactive tours at the Kordin III temple complex between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Kordin III is close to the Capuchin church in Kordin across the road from the mosque. Jonathan Borg, FWA resident archaeologist, said the accent of the tours will be on exploring how archaeologists go about their research and what life in prehistoric times was like.

"On site we will have an excavating pit where visitors will be able to understand better the different strata one comes across when digging in historic sites and what they mean.

"We will also have a hands-on display of how pottery could have been made and how clothing made of animal skin could have been sewn," Mr Borg added. The tours will be conducted by professional archaeologists and the idea is not to talk down to visitors but to let them become part of the whole scenario and immerse themselves in the daily life inside a temple as it used to be, alive and throbbing with people 5,000 years ago.

Kordin III has a number of features that are absent in other temple sites. These include a paved forecourt, a trough or corn grinder, a number of delicately pitted stones and the remains of what might have been a dwelling space at the back of the temple complex.

This is the second year this type of public demonstration is being held and this year's theme will be the production of textiles and clothing in the Late Neolithic period.

Visitors will also have the chance to watch a flint knapper producing tools using flint cores, obsidian and bones. The tools will be used to prepare animal hides for the making of clothes.

Guided tours will be held every half hour in Maltese with an English version on the hour. Tours will stop at noon and start again at 1 p.m. with the last tour starting at 3. p.m.