Maltese is a Semitic language derived from late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance superstrata. It is spoken by the Maltese people and is the national language of Malta, and the only official Semitic and Afroasiatic language of the European Union. Maltese is a Latinised variety of spoken historical Arabic through its descent from Siculo-Arabic, which developed as a Maghrebi Arabic dialect in the Emirate of Sicily between 831 and 1091. As a result of the Norman invasion of Malta and the subsequent re-Christianization of the islands, Maltese evolved independently of Classical Arabic in a gradual process of latinisation. It is therefore exceptional as a variety of historical Arabic that has no diglossic relationship with Classical or Modern Standard Arabic. Maltese is thus classified separately from the 30 varieties constituting the modern Arabic macrolanguage. Maltese is also distinguished from Arabic and other Semitic languages since its morphology has been deeply influenced by Romance languages, namely Italian and Sicilian.
The Pax Romana is a roughly 200-year-long period of Roman history which is identified as a golden age of increased and sustained Roman imperialism, relative peace and order, prosperous stability, hegemonic power, and regional expansion. This is despite several revolts and wars, and continuing competition with Parthia. It is traditionally dated as commencing with the accession of Augustus, founder of the Roman principate, in 27 BC and concluding in AD 180 with the death of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the "Five Good Emperors".
Sicilian is a Romance language that is spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands. It belongs to the broader Extreme Southern Italian language group.
Saʽid, also spelled Saʽeid, Said, Saïd, Sid, Saeed, Saed, Saied, Sayeed or Sayid, is a male Arabic given name which means "blessed, good luck, joy" or "happy, patient". The name stems from the Arabic verb sa‘ada.
Pax, more commonly known in English as Peace, was the Roman goddess of peace derived and adopted from the ancient Greek equivalent Eirene. Pax was seen as the daughter of the Roman king god Jupiter and the goddess Justice. Worship of Peace was organized and made popular during the rule of the emperor Augustus who used her imagery to help stabilise the empire after the years of turmoil and civil war of the late republic. Augustus commissioned an altar of peace in her honour on the Campus Martius called Ara Pacis, and the emperor Vespasian built a temple for her on called the Templum Pacis. Pax had a festival held for her on January 30. In art she is commonly depicted holding out olive branches as a peace offering, as well as a caduceus, cornucopia, corn and a sceptre. Pax is also often associated with spring.
In Christian liturgy, "the Pax" is an abbreviation of the Latin salutations "pax vobis" or "pax vobiscum", which are used in the Catholic Mass, the Lutheran Divine Service, and the Western Orthodox Mass.
Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related to the surname by the Nobility & Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland.
Azzopardi is a rare Italian surname of Lombardic origin, naturalized in Malta and to a lesser extent in Greece and France.
Fenech is a surname about whose origins there are several hypotheses. The most notable is the meaning of "rabbit", since fenek is rabbit in Maltese. This in turn comes from the Arabic word for fox, فنك which like the rabbit has large ears as its distinguishing feature and may have been confused during the development of the Maltese language, which is a descendant of the Siculo-Arabic dialect. The word is also thought to be a respelling of Fenich, the German for millet farmer. A possible Persian derivation of the word has also been suggested.
The Maltese people are an ethnic group native to Malta who speak Maltese, a Semitic language and share a common culture and Maltese history. Malta, an island country in the Mediterranean Sea, is an archipelago that also includes an island of the same name together with the islands of Gozo and Comino ; people of Gozo, Gozitans are considered a subgroup of the Maltese.
Micallef is a Maltese surname. It has been recorded in Malta since ancient times, and its origins probably lie in the name Micali, a variant of Michael. However, another possible derivation for the surname is the Maltese word "mħallef", which means 'judge', and thus its origin is not certain. This surname is found in various Medieval records, normally as Makluffi. Prior to the late 15th century, most people bearing this surname were of the Jewish faith.
Cassar is a Maltese surname, common both in Malta and the wider Maltese diaspora. It is considered part of the 14 most numerous surnames in Malta.
The coppola is a traditional kind of flat cap typically worn in Sicily, Campania and Calabria, where is it known as còppula or berretto, and also seen in Malta, Greece, Corsica, and Sardinia.
Camilleri is a common surname in Malta and, to a lesser extent, in Italy. The surname is believed to have originated in the 12th century and derives from the Latin term "camelarius".
Pascoe is a Cornish given name and surname which means "Easter children" from the Cornish language Pask, cognate of Latin Pascha ("Easter"). Pascoe is a Cornish pet form of the name Pascal, introduced by the Norman knights into England after the Conquest started in 1066, and derives from the Latin paschalis, which means "relating to Easter" from Latin Pascha ("Easter"). Alternative spellings are Pasco, Pascow and Pascho. Pascoe is the most common Cornish name.
Pacey is an English surname and given name variant of Passy, a French locational origin surname, itself derived from the Gallo-Roman Praenomen Paccius. The surname Pacey migrated to England during the 12th Century and eventually evolved also into a given name. Pacey, itself a variant, is associated also with "Passie", "Peacey", and "Piosey".
Farrugia is a family name with a theoretical etymology based in both Latin fellus and Semitic faruj, first found in Malta, Calabria and Sicily. In the Maltese language the word farruġ refers to a cockerel. It has been exported by immigration to places including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France and Russia. In some cases the family name is Jewish in origin.
Camp is an English surname taken from Latin roots. The name is found in Great Britain and in other places throughout the world settled by the English. According to the 2000 census there are fewer than 1300 Camps in the UK. The 2000 US census puts the number at over 27,000, making it the 1087th most common name in America, after McDermott. The Australian government currently reports 465 persons named Camp. The governments of Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa do not currently provide lists of surnames as the UK and others do. Totals outside the English-speaking world are also unknown.
Calleja is a surname found in Spain and Malta. It is unclear whether the Maltese and Spanish surnames are related or a coincidence, perhaps caused by romanization.
The pax was an object used in the Middle Ages and Renaissance for the Kiss of Peace in the Catholic Mass. Direct kissing among the celebrants and congregation was replaced by each in turn kissing the pax, which was carried around to those present. A wide range of materials were used, and the form of the pax was also variable but normally included a flat surface to be kissed. Often the pax was held out with a long handle attached, and it seems to have been given a wipe with a cloth between each person. Some paxes are very elaborate and expensive objects, and most survivals fall into this class, but the great majority were probably very simple wood or brass pieces. It was usual to include an image, usually of or including the Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ.
