Neolithic artifacts paint a vivid picture of Malta’s prehistoric culture

The connection of Italy, and more importantly Sicily, to Malta goes back to prehistoric times even before the link Sicily had to the modern Italian mainland. The first sign of this was pottery found by archaeologists at Skorba that resembles pottery found in Italy. This suggests that the Maltese islands were first settled in 5200 B.C. mainly by Stone Age hunters or farmers who had arrived from the larger island of Sicily, possibly the Sicani. The extinction of dwarf hippos and dwarf elephants has been linked to the earliest arrival of humans on Malta. Prehistoric farming settlements dating to the Early Neolithic period were discovered in open areas and also in caves, such as Għar Dalam.

Ancient megalithic temple complex in Ggantija, Gozo Island, Malta, showcases Neolithic-era architecture amidst lush greenery and blue skies.

The Sicani were the only tribe known to have inhabited the island at this time and are generally regarded as related to the Iberians. The population on Malta grew cereals, raised domestic livestock and, in common with other ancient Mediterranean cultures, worshiped a fertility figure represented in Maltese prehistoric artifacts as exhibiting the large proportions seen in similar statuettes, including the Venus of Willendorf.

Pottery from the Għar Dalam phase is similar to pottery found in Agrigento, Sicily. A culture of megalithic temple builders then either substituted with new temples or built upon existing temples from this early period. During 3500 B.C., these people built some of the oldest existing, free-standing structures in the world in the form of the megalithic Ġgantija temples on Gozo; other early temples include those at Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra.

The temples have a distinctive architecture, typically a complex trefoil design, and were used from 4000–2500 B.C. Animal bones and a knife found behind a removable altar stone suggest that temple rituals included animal sacrifice. Tentative information suggests that sacrifices were made to the goddess of fertility, whose statue is now in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta. The culture likely disappeared from the Maltese Islands around 2500 B.C. Archeologists speculate that the temple builders fell victim to famine or disease. Others have speculated on the links between this event and Plato’s account of the disappearance of Atlantis.

Another interesting archaeological feature of the Maltese islands, often attributed to these ancient builders, are equidistant uniform grooves dubbed “cart tracks” or “cart ruts” which can be found in several locations throughout the islands with the most prominent being those found in an area of Malta named “Clapham Junction.” These may have been caused by wooden-wheeled carts eroding soft limestone.

After 2500 B.C., the Maltese Islands were depopulated for several decades until the arrival of a new influx of Bronze Age immigrants, a culture that cremated its dead and introduced smaller megalithic structures called dolmens to Malta.

Next month: Greeks, Phoenician, and Roman settlers.