Prehistory & Temple Period

Malta was first settled around 5,200 BC — farmers from Sicily crossed the 80 km wide strait, bringing grain, livestock, and pottery. The Temple Phase (3,600–2,500 BC) is the most fascinating chapter of Maltese prehistory: A Neolithic society without writing, metal, or the wheel erected the oldest free-standing structures of humanity.

The Temple Culture

Between 3,600 and 2,500 BC, at least 30 monumental temple complexes were built on Malta and Gozo, seven of which are now UNESCO World Heritage sites: Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien, Ġgantija (Gozo), Ta' Ħaġrat, Skorba, and the Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni. The temples had cloverleaf-shaped layouts, were constructed from massive limestone blocks (up to 20 tons), and likely served the cult of a fertility goddess — as suggested by the numerous "Fat Lady" figures.

Around 2,500 BC, the temple culture abruptly ended — and no one knows why. The islands were then settled by a Bronze Age culture that practiced cremation and no longer built temples. Climate change, overpopulation, or epidemics? The mystery remains unsolved.