Ronald Poell
@holisticchrono.bsky.social
Independent researcher. Creating a holistic view of the #Neolithic Temple Period in Malta. And IT nerd developing an #AI capable of telling a multimedia story about it.
Comparison November 2024 - November 2025 of a long term #ExperimentalArchaeology project 😂:
Growing a Sandarac Gum Tree (National tree of Malta and protected) to collect the gum for making (possible) #Neolithic #paint.
L-għargħar (pronounced L-ah-r-aar) , Tetraclinis articulata.
Growing a Sandarac Gum Tree (National tree of Malta and protected) to collect the gum for making (possible) #Neolithic #paint.
L-għargħar (pronounced L-ah-r-aar) , Tetraclinis articulata.
November 22, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Comparison November 2024 - November 2025 of a long term #ExperimentalArchaeology project 😂:
Growing a Sandarac Gum Tree (National tree of Malta and protected) to collect the gum for making (possible) #Neolithic #paint.
L-għargħar (pronounced L-ah-r-aar) , Tetraclinis articulata.
Growing a Sandarac Gum Tree (National tree of Malta and protected) to collect the gum for making (possible) #Neolithic #paint.
L-għargħar (pronounced L-ah-r-aar) , Tetraclinis articulata.
The stone with the pitted decoration on the right resembles the numerous ones we have in Malta from the Temple Period (3400-2400 BCE). The image shows the summer solstice upright at Mnajdra South.
📷 mine 2021-03-26
📷 mine 2021-03-26
November 22, 2025 at 4:04 AM
The stone with the pitted decoration on the right resembles the numerous ones we have in Malta from the Temple Period (3400-2400 BCE). The image shows the summer solstice upright at Mnajdra South.
📷 mine 2021-03-26
📷 mine 2021-03-26
When will the greedy development at a heavy cost for Malta's heritage be stopped?
Help and sign this international petition.
openpetition.eu/!tjgrb
And share ...
Help and sign this international petition.
openpetition.eu/!tjgrb
And share ...
October 26, 2025 at 4:32 PM
When will the greedy development at a heavy cost for Malta's heritage be stopped?
Help and sign this international petition.
openpetition.eu/!tjgrb
And share ...
Help and sign this international petition.
openpetition.eu/!tjgrb
And share ...
Tonight: Birgu by Candellight. The whole town will be only illuminated by around 20.000 candles.
Published a short note on a granite column I found 9 years ago at the same event in a recess on the upper floor of the Auberge de France in Birgu.
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Published a short note on a granite column I found 9 years ago at the same event in a recess on the upper floor of the Auberge de France in Birgu.
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
October 11, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Tonight: Birgu by Candellight. The whole town will be only illuminated by around 20.000 candles.
Published a short note on a granite column I found 9 years ago at the same event in a recess on the upper floor of the Auberge de France in Birgu.
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Published a short note on a granite column I found 9 years ago at the same event in a recess on the upper floor of the Auberge de France in Birgu.
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Reposted by Ronald Poell
Petition: parlament.mt/en/petition?...
Petition
parlament.mt
August 21, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Petition: parlament.mt/en/petition?...
Reposted by Ronald Poell
Reposted by Ronald Poell
Santa Verna: Petition to Protect Santa Verna Temple Landscape in Xagħra, Gozo from development. This ruined temple probably rivalled the major sites of Ggantija, Tarxien and Hagar Qim in importance.
August 21, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Santa Verna: Petition to Protect Santa Verna Temple Landscape in Xagħra, Gozo from development. This ruined temple probably rivalled the major sites of Ggantija, Tarxien and Hagar Qim in importance.
Finished "Fall of Civilizations" by @paulmmcooper.bsky.social
Excellent, H/T Paul.
Recommended read. As is Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything".
Both showing the stupidity of mankind through the actions of a few individuals. Greed for money, power and prestige being the worse.
Excellent, H/T Paul.
Recommended read. As is Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything".
Both showing the stupidity of mankind through the actions of a few individuals. Greed for money, power and prestige being the worse.
June 8, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Finished "Fall of Civilizations" by @paulmmcooper.bsky.social
Excellent, H/T Paul.
Recommended read. As is Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything".
Both showing the stupidity of mankind through the actions of a few individuals. Greed for money, power and prestige being the worse.
Excellent, H/T Paul.
Recommended read. As is Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything".
Both showing the stupidity of mankind through the actions of a few individuals. Greed for money, power and prestige being the worse.
It was indeed very inspiring. Thanks to the whole team and in particular @elliescerri.bsky.social @huwgroucutt.bsky.social and all those present.
Final day of the #IslandLegacies conference today! So grateful for the convergence of such a fantastic group of scholars and thinkers. It has been truly inspirational!
June 5, 2025 at 4:45 PM
It was indeed very inspiring. Thanks to the whole team and in particular @elliescerri.bsky.social @huwgroucutt.bsky.social and all those present.
Announcement:
I temporarily put my AI development (Gaia) for the #Neolithic #TemplePeriod in #Malta on a hold until the legislation around (Gen) #AI is clarified.
The story telling capabilities of Gaia is not intended to be integrated into a LLM (e.g. DeepSeek) but to combine off-the-shelf ...🧵1/4
I temporarily put my AI development (Gaia) for the #Neolithic #TemplePeriod in #Malta on a hold until the legislation around (Gen) #AI is clarified.
The story telling capabilities of Gaia is not intended to be integrated into a LLM (e.g. DeepSeek) but to combine off-the-shelf ...🧵1/4
May 30, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Announcement:
I temporarily put my AI development (Gaia) for the #Neolithic #TemplePeriod in #Malta on a hold until the legislation around (Gen) #AI is clarified.
The story telling capabilities of Gaia is not intended to be integrated into a LLM (e.g. DeepSeek) but to combine off-the-shelf ...🧵1/4
I temporarily put my AI development (Gaia) for the #Neolithic #TemplePeriod in #Malta on a hold until the legislation around (Gen) #AI is clarified.
The story telling capabilities of Gaia is not intended to be integrated into a LLM (e.g. DeepSeek) but to combine off-the-shelf ...🧵1/4
Interesting paper but questionable interpretation. The stars involved are in the southern sky and not visible during the summer. This is the only season the Mediterranean can be navigated. ...🧵1/2
doi.org/10.1007/s125...
doi.org/10.1007/s125...
‘No easy way from the earth to the stars’: a new statistical approach to the orientation of the Maltese temples - Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
The Maltese Temples, built between 3800 and 2400 BC, are unique structures among the prehistoric monuments of Europe. Their consistent architectural style is characterised by straight entrance corrido...
doi.org
May 30, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Interesting paper but questionable interpretation. The stars involved are in the southern sky and not visible during the summer. This is the only season the Mediterranean can be navigated. ...🧵1/2
doi.org/10.1007/s125...
doi.org/10.1007/s125...
Today 2 ✅ on my todo list:
- reaching level 69 in the game of life
- publishing the article going with the poster for the #IslandLegacies conference of next week.
doi.org/10.13140/RG....
- reaching level 69 in the game of life
- publishing the article going with the poster for the #IslandLegacies conference of next week.
doi.org/10.13140/RG....
(PDF) Water resources for the Neolithic Ħaġar Qim–Mnajdra cluster Malta
PDF | Access to water is a fundamental requirement for any settlement, serving diverse needs such as drinking (for humans and animals), crops, food... | Find, read and cite all the research you need o...
doi.org
May 28, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Today 2 ✅ on my todo list:
- reaching level 69 in the game of life
- publishing the article going with the poster for the #IslandLegacies conference of next week.
doi.org/10.13140/RG....
- reaching level 69 in the game of life
- publishing the article going with the poster for the #IslandLegacies conference of next week.
doi.org/10.13140/RG....
Gefeliciteerd 🏆 🎂
Yesterday I successfully defended my PhD-thesis: "Relating Roman Rings: An interdisciplinary study using archaeology, data science and tree rings to understand timber provision in the German Provinces of the Roman Empire" (doi.org/10.5463/thes...).
A great day! It seems I am Dr. Ronald Visser now
A great day! It seems I am Dr. Ronald Visser now
Relating Roman Rings: An interdisciplinary study using archaeology, data science and tree rings to understand timber provision in the German Provinces of the Roman Empire
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
doi.org
May 28, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Gefeliciteerd 🏆 🎂
Throwback. 1969-1976. (from 13 to 20 yo). First digs. Netherlands. Roman settlement (Eindhoven/Woensel) with resin soil profiles. Also an emergency dig of a medieval Castle (Blaarthem).
Hairstyle was a bit different then 😂.
Hairstyle was a bit different then 😂.
May 7, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Throwback. 1969-1976. (from 13 to 20 yo). First digs. Netherlands. Roman settlement (Eindhoven/Woensel) with resin soil profiles. Also an emergency dig of a medieval Castle (Blaarthem).
Hairstyle was a bit different then 😂.
Hairstyle was a bit different then 😂.
Eager to start reading the book I received today: Fall of civilizations by @paulmmcooper.bsky.social
Although the retail price of the book is OK it ended up costing almost 2.5 times as much (shipment and customs). I hope it is worth it 😁.
Although the retail price of the book is OK it ended up costing almost 2.5 times as much (shipment and customs). I hope it is worth it 😁.
May 7, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Eager to start reading the book I received today: Fall of civilizations by @paulmmcooper.bsky.social
Although the retail price of the book is OK it ended up costing almost 2.5 times as much (shipment and customs). I hope it is worth it 😁.
Although the retail price of the book is OK it ended up costing almost 2.5 times as much (shipment and customs). I hope it is worth it 😁.
Yesterday another #fieldwork day at Il-Misqa (Qrendi, Malta). Cloudy weather so nice for 3D outdoor photography. Raw #photogrammetry models of 3 of the 8 water tanks. #Neolithic ? #TemplePeriod ? #Malta
April 27, 2025 at 5:16 AM
Yesterday another #fieldwork day at Il-Misqa (Qrendi, Malta). Cloudy weather so nice for 3D outdoor photography. Raw #photogrammetry models of 3 of the 8 water tanks. #Neolithic ? #TemplePeriod ? #Malta
Back at Il-Misqa after 6 years of other research. Possibly #Neolithic watertanks. 7 or 8 of them.
April 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Back at Il-Misqa after 6 years of other research. Possibly #Neolithic watertanks. 7 or 8 of them.
Rose, you might be interested in this one @primalsyntax.bsky.social
My summary of the exciting new excavations by @elliescerri.bsky.social and her colleagues, showing Mesolithic hunter gatherers arrived to Malta by sea
Hunter-gatherers journeyed by sea to Malta
Evidence reveals that people reached Malta 8,500 years ago. Hunter-gatherers made the long trip there 1,000 years before agricultural societies arrived.
www.nature.com
April 10, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Rose, you might be interested in this one @primalsyntax.bsky.social
Wow. That is unexpected. HT for the whole team.
In @nature.com we report the presence of the Mesolithic on Malta - upending everything we knew about the seafaring capabilities of late European hunter-gatherers and pushing back Maltese prehistory by 1000 years. Watch the clip, link to open access paper is below. 1/5
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
April 9, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Wow. That is unexpected. HT for the whole team.
The third version of the Bibliography of the Temple builders in Malta are now available. 1480 entries in 10 categories.
Two variants:
BibTeX format (doi.org/10.13140/RG....) and APA format (doi.org/10.13140/RG....)
#Neolithic #TemplePeriod #Malta #Bibliography
Two variants:
BibTeX format (doi.org/10.13140/RG....) and APA format (doi.org/10.13140/RG....)
#Neolithic #TemplePeriod #Malta #Bibliography
April 9, 2025 at 5:13 PM
The third version of the Bibliography of the Temple builders in Malta are now available. 1480 entries in 10 categories.
Two variants:
BibTeX format (doi.org/10.13140/RG....) and APA format (doi.org/10.13140/RG....)
#Neolithic #TemplePeriod #Malta #Bibliography
Two variants:
BibTeX format (doi.org/10.13140/RG....) and APA format (doi.org/10.13140/RG....)
#Neolithic #TemplePeriod #Malta #Bibliography
Post a warning ⚠️ Attention work in progress
March 23, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Post a warning ⚠️ Attention work in progress
My caving experiences started in March 1992 (age 36) and lasted till I left Southern France in 1997. A lot of nice memories collected during these years. Created already in those years an electronic inventory of the caves in that region. A copy of the old website (1993) at speleo.ronaldpoell.eu.
March 20, 2025 at 9:48 AM
My caving experiences started in March 1992 (age 36) and lasted till I left Southern France in 1997. A lot of nice memories collected during these years. Created already in those years an electronic inventory of the caves in that region. A copy of the old website (1993) at speleo.ronaldpoell.eu.
Looking forward to this.
I have been invited to give a talk on my recent research on archaeological digital storytelling by the Institute of Classical Studies and I’m looking very forward to it. 11th of April at 4:00pm - it’s hybrid, follow the link to book your place or better come in person!
ics.sas.ac.uk/events/creat...
ics.sas.ac.uk/events/creat...
March 4, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Looking forward to this.
Upstream of the Wied Għollieqa, below a terrace wall: small circular structure (app. 3m diam.). Even more upstream some of the huge blocks (megaliths ?) have wedge holes. Rubble walls also in the vicinity probably to canalise the water during heavy rainfall.
February 26, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Upstream of the Wied Għollieqa, below a terrace wall: small circular structure (app. 3m diam.). Even more upstream some of the huge blocks (megaliths ?) have wedge holes. Rubble walls also in the vicinity probably to canalise the water during heavy rainfall.
Why buying such an old book?
My archaeology study (bibliography activity) is part of an encapsulating project. Holistic Chronology: Tracing back what, when, by whom and how (occasionally where and why also) information was created (the famous 5WH).
Using NLP, KN, AI mostly created by me.
My archaeology study (bibliography activity) is part of an encapsulating project. Holistic Chronology: Tracing back what, when, by whom and how (occasionally where and why also) information was created (the famous 5WH).
Using NLP, KN, AI mostly created by me.
Finally decided to buy the (expensive) "bible" of the prehistory in Malta:
John D. Evans 1971: The Prehistoric Antiquities of the Maltese Islands.
Not many publications do not have this one in the reference list.
412 pages to go, not so much reading. More studying.😍
John D. Evans 1971: The Prehistoric Antiquities of the Maltese Islands.
Not many publications do not have this one in the reference list.
412 pages to go, not so much reading. More studying.😍
February 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Why buying such an old book?
My archaeology study (bibliography activity) is part of an encapsulating project. Holistic Chronology: Tracing back what, when, by whom and how (occasionally where and why also) information was created (the famous 5WH).
Using NLP, KN, AI mostly created by me.
My archaeology study (bibliography activity) is part of an encapsulating project. Holistic Chronology: Tracing back what, when, by whom and how (occasionally where and why also) information was created (the famous 5WH).
Using NLP, KN, AI mostly created by me.