Geo-archeositi ipogei dei territori ibleo e maltese

Prehistoric caves, as Għar ar Mirdum in Malta and Grotta Monello and Grotta Palombara in Siracusa territory represent an important evidence of human occupation of Sicily and Malta in the Neolithic and their use is, at the same time, the most relevant indicator of an ‘underground’ shared religion well attested in the two islands between the 3rd and the 2nd millennium BC. Peculiar geological and environmental fea- tures, and the surrounding landscape were decisive in the choice of the type of ritual practices to be performed inside of those caves, as if their natural frame was able to condition the cultural outcome. Too often archaeological studies aimed to interpret that outcome have ignored the geological and en- vironmental context, which was in first place responsible for the ritual activity. This paper contributes to highlight those geo-archeological elements of such peculiar geo-archaeosites connecting cultures of Sicily and Malta.