Origins - The Maltese Islands

The Maltese islands are made of a series of sedimentary limestones layed down during the Tertiary Age. During the Ice Ages, a large proportion of the world’s water was bound in the polar ice-caps. As a result, sea-levels were much lower than they are today, and Malta was probably connected to nearby Sicily by dry land. During warmer episodes, the islands were cut off again. At Ghar Dalam, the remains of pygmy hippopotami and elephants have been discovered. When these species were cut off on the small archipelago, they adapted to this environment through natural selection, by becoming smaller and smaller.

For as long as people have plied the seas of the Mediterranean, the island’s strategic position has attracted peaceful settlers and hostile conquerors alike. By 5000 BC, settlers had already crossed over from Sicily, bringing with them a few simple tools, seeds and domestic animals. They maintained contact with Sicily and its islands for obsidian, flint and other resources that were not available on Malta.

During the period between 3,600 BC and 2,500 BC, the Maltese islands witnessed some of the most extraordinary achievements ever realized by its inhabitants. A new and original architectural form was developed, and a number of remarkable megalithic buildings were raised in different parts of the archipelago. Some of the best known on Malta are Tarxien, Imnajdra and Hagar Qim. Although today we call these buildings temples, we do not know what precise purposes they served. During the same period, an extensive burial complex was hewn out of the living rock on three successive levels, to form the Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni.

On Gozo, at Xaghra, one finds the fascinating Ggantija Megalithic Temples. They are considered to be the oldest free-standing stone constructions in the world. They were built about 3,500 BC, a thousand years before the earliest pyramid in Egypt.

The period between about 2500 BC and 800 BC is known as the Bronze Age. At the beginning of the Bronze Age, the Neolithic culture that had created the megalithic temples was replaced by very different practices, as new influences reached Malta from the outside world. Metal was introduced to the islands, and very different burial rituals were introduced. While the temple builders had practiced inhumation, that is the burial of the body, the Bronze Age inhabitants practiced cremation, that is the burning of the body.

The Phoenicians were accomplished seafarers and traders, venturing far from their homeland in present-day Lebanon. During the ninth century BC they established trading networks and colonies across the length and breadth of the Mediterranean. There is evidence that they had established permanent settlements on Malta before the end of the eight century BC. During the fifth century BC, the Phoenician colony of Carthage, in present-day Tunisia, eclipsed the cities of their eastern homeland. Malta fell within the sphere of influence of Carthage, until it was seized by Rome in 218 BC at the start of the Second Punic War.

The Romans invaded from Marsala in Sicily at about 218BC and established the Island as an Imperial Province, giving the ‘Municipium’ status with autonomy for self government. Within the Roman world, Malta had become famous for the production of textiles and honey. The name Malta is possibly derived from the Latin word for honey. The Maltese Islands were governed by the Romans until the division of the Roman Empire over 700 years later, in the fourth century AD.

In the year 60AD, it is believed by many that St Paul was shipwrecked on Malta on his way to Rome as a prisoner. According to popular tradition, he converted the island to Christianity. However, concrete evidence of Christianity in Malta only begins in the fourth century AD.

During the Late Roman period, Malta formed part of the Eastern Roman Empire, which had its capital in Constantinople, present-day Istanbul.

The Arabs held Malta from around 870 AD AND 1090 AD. During this period, the islands became thoroughly Islamic, and Arabic became the spoken language. When Count Roger the Norman raided the islands in 1090, he nominally took possession of the islands. Nevertheless, Islam appears to have remained widespread for a long period afterwards, while Arabic still forms the basis of the Maltese language today.

During the High Middle Ages, the islands changed hands a number of times between the competing royal houses of Europe that were constantly jostling for power in the Mediterranean. In 1530, a new chapter in the history of the islands began when the Emperor Charles V of Spain ceded Malta as a fief to the Order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, who made it their new home.

In 1551 Gozo was attacked by corsairs from North Africa. When the Citadel fell into the hands of the invaders, the whole able-bodied population was dragged into slavery. Gozo’s population at the time was about 5000 people.

In 1565, an even greater threat to the islands appeared over the horizon. It was a colossal armada carrying an army of more than 30,000 warriors, sent by the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to stamp out the Order of St John forever. Against all odds, the heavily outnumbered defenders resisted a bloody summer of relentless bombardment. When the long-awaited relief forces finally arrived from Sicily, the invaders retreated in disarray, and were forced back onto their ships. The victory instantly became legendary, and was celebrated across Europe. In Malta, it is still celebrated every year on the 8th September.

During the siege, the long and barren peninsula between the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour, known as Xebb ir–Ras, had been used for the gun positions of the invaders, with devastating effects. In order to prevent this from ever happening again, a new and daunting project was begun. In 1566, the year after the siege, Grand Master La Valette commenced the building of a new city that was to carry his name, on the Xebb ir–Ras peninsula. With the support of Christian princes from across a grateful Europe, the new model city rapidly took shape. In 1571, it became the new home of the Order of St John. It has served as the capital of Malta up to this day, and is also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage City.

The Knights administered the Islands for 268 years until 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte drove them from these shores and occupied the country in the name of the French Republic. Napoleon was on his way to Egypt with 54000 troops and took over the island without much resistance. The knights were given 3 days to leave.

Within months, the Maltese had risen in revolt. In one of the great twists of irony in Maltese history, the French retreated behind the impregnable city walls that the Maltese had toiled for centuries to build. The Gozitans managed to expell the French from the island after barely four months of occupation and established what is known as ' La Nazione Gozitana' during which Gozo was administered for the first time in history by the gozitans. When the Maltese asked for British help, Nelson placed Captain Alexander Ball in charge of blockading the 4000 strong French garrison in Valletta. After two years of land and sea blockade by combined British, Portugese and Maltese forces, the French were starved into surrender in 1800. In the years that followed, the British became increasingly keen on retaining Malta because they had recognized its strategic value was vital to their interests in India and the Mediterranean. In 1814, Malta was confirmed as a British possession by the Treaty of Paris.

1835 was an important milestone in Malta’s history towards independence, as a first constitution of Malta was established giving the Maltese representation in the islands’ affairs. New constitutions were introduced in 1849, 1887 and in 1903. A new constitution in 1921 gave the Maltese full self-government but this was suspended twice up to the year 1933.

Another momentous series of events in the history of the Maltese Islands was brought about by the Second World War. Malta’s defences at the outbreak of the war were sorely inadequate for the conflict that was to come. Initially, the only air defences against the bombardments by the Italian air force were three Gladiator biplanes, later nicknamed, Faith, Hope and Charity.

In 1942 Rommel’s advance in North Africa further isolated Malta. At the darkest hour, Malta was the only Allied stronghold between Gibraltar at one end of the Mediterranean, and Alexandria at the other. Incredibly, Malta held out, and in April 1942, King George VI awarded the civilian population was awarded the George Cross for “…heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history’.

Self-government was restored in 1947.

In September 1964, Malta attained its Independence from Britain. Until then, the Maltese economy depended mostly on the British services and the Naval Dockyard. With the rundown of military services, the Maltese economy had to be transformed in order for the fledgling state to survive. A number of success stories in industry and tourism have created the sound economy that the country has today.

Ten years after Independence, in 1974, Malta was declared a Republic within the Commonwealth and the last British Forces left Malta on the 31st March 1979.

In May 2004 Malta became a full member of the European Union.