This capital is of a type known as Italic-Corinthian. Although the Corinthian order of Roman architecture was invented in Corinth, certain early types infiltrated the Italian peninsula at a very early stage, particularly through the Greek colonies in Sicily. Capitals similar to this started being seen as a regional variety in Sicily in the 4th century BC and became very common in southern Italy, hence the name. The majority of known examples from Malta’s neighbouring island are not carved out of rock, which makes the local capital example, carved out Globigerina Limestone, even more significant. Moreover, Malta’s collections have fragments of at least another 6 capitals of the same type, so this capital must have been considerably widespread throughout the island. HM ID no.: 9646
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