Introduction

Journal of Mediterranean Studies, 1998 ISSN: 1016-3476 Vol. 8, No. 1:1-7 INTRODUCTION Vicki Ann C remona University of Malta Ancient sites are today perceived as places of culture, the testimonials of a distant, little known and mythicized past. They are looked on with awe by the learned, and often with curiosity by those who have not been taught to appreciate their value. The original function of certain sites is more easily identifiable than that of others. The specific use of a Greek or Roman theatre site may be apprehended, even though most of the documented trace of its former life may be lost. Very few of the plays performed in these sites have come down to posterity, however, the few that luckily have somehow survived, allow modern visitors to conjure up, in their minds’ eye, what the site may have been like in Greek and Roman times, as well as the type of performance staged there. This is not the case with more ancient sites, such as neolithic temples. In this instance, the only texts left to posterity are inscribed in worn stones and spaces of these sites, timelessly simple, but encoded with sophisticated belief systems concerning life, reproduction and death. It is not always easy to imagine what the temples must have originally looked like, and it is even more difficult to guess at their function. It is practically impossible to grasp the type of rituals or ceremonies that were enacted on this holy ground, and their sig­ nificance in the eyes of the community of the time. It is even more difficult to visualise the community itself, its appearance, its habits, its beliefs. Although the past significance of a site may appear somewhat obscure, the present meaning of the site also depends on the use that is made of it. In certain cases, sites are simply identified by the local population as being “for tourists”, something they neither visit, much less identify with or at least feel any interest in, except perhaps as a possible source of income. In these cases, interest for sites may often be linked to a knowledgeable elite, who may actually view the sites as places to be protected from the ‘unappreciative massés’. One of the key ways of generating interest in sites is to give them new meaning within a contemporary context. Unfortunately, this idea has often Copyright © 1998 Mediterranean Institute, University of Malta. 2 Vicki Ann Cremona been haplessly misinterpreted by politicians and administrators. Consequently, sites have been used for many purposes, often of a performative nature, ranging from pop-concerts to film locations. In far too many cases, little or no attention was paid to conserving or protecting the sites where the events were held, thereby generating hostility between archaeologists and conser­ vators on the one hand, whose concern is to preserve the sites, and artists, who want to provide sites with new life, or a new artistic dimension. This hostility has sometimes led to a lack of communication between the two sides. This state of affairs has led politicians and administrators to take key decisions, sometimes in a very arbitrary manner, in matters concerning art or conservation, which they were not necessarily competent to handle. In certain instances, uninformed decisions were taken, and have had lasting harmful consequences. The problem of what to stage in an ancient site, and how to do this, must take into consideration the way the site itself is considered. The site may be seen as a text which inspires heterogeneous readings. The text of the site necessarily impinges upon the text of the performance being staged there, even if there is no conscious effort to integrate the two. However, the use of an ancient space demands that the production is created in func­ tion of this space. Even the staging of a classical text in an ancient site requires a renegotiation of meaning, with regard to the space, and also with regard to the modern audience within this space. There cannot be a simple reproduction of a text on stage, the performance requires a recreation of text, space and public. The juxtaposition of the two texts, that of the space and...