Malta's history reads like a who's who in the Mediterranean Sea. The first settlers apparently came from Sicily, 60 miles to the north; pottery sherds found in caves are similar to those found in Sicily 5,200 years before Christ.

Prehistory

The first settlers to leave an important mark in the landscape were the Temple Builders, from 4000 to 2500 BC. Among the temples built in this period is Ggantija in Xaghra (Gozo), from about 3600 BC. (See Sights) The temples were built from huge stone blocks, almost always in clover shape. The temples were dedicated to the fertility goddess, a Rubenesque shaped woman as seen in several statuettes that were recovered. A later temple was built at Tarxien, featuring spiral decorations.

This culture also produced burial complexes such as the hypogeum at Paola, where many statues were found. This culture disappeared completely around 2500 BC.

Classical Period

The Phoenicians, lords of the Mediterranean Sea in pre-Hellenistic times, gained influence in Malta around 1000 BC. They called the island Malat, meaning refuge or safe haven. Eventually their base shifted from Tyre in Lebanon to Carthage in Tunisia. The Phoenicians rebuilt a prehistoric temple at Tas-Silg and dedicated it to the goddess Astarte. Two inscribed candelabra were found there, assisting scholars in deciphering the Phoenician language. One may be seen at the archaeological museum in Valletta. The temple is not opened to the public.

The Romans challenged the Carthaginians for mastery of the sea in the Punic Wars, eventually conquering Malta in 218 BC. They called the place Melita, and built their capital in present day Mdina and Rabat. There are still Roman mosaics and catacombs in Rabat. According to legend, St. Paul was shipwrecked on Malta in the years 60 AD. He is said to have performed some miracles and to have introduced Christianity to Malta. He is patron saint of the nation and the cathedral at Mdina is named for him. Oddly enough, there is no historical evidence of Christianity before the fourth century.

Middle Ages

When the Roman Empire declined, the Byzantines inherited their influence in Malta, but only until the Arabs conquered the islands in 870. The Arabs introduced new crops, citrus fruits and cotton; irrigation methods and stone walls around fields, still visible throughout the countryside today. While some locals might claim that their language is from the Phoenician, it is actually Arabic, with Italian and English overtones. It is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet, but is more like Arabic and Hebrew than any other language. Melita was divided into two cities, Mdina (Arabic for fortified city) and Rabat, meaning suburb.

In 1090 the Normans conquered Malta, thus beginning the European feudal period in the country. Malta would be ruled by the French, Spanish, Germans, Catalonians, etc. As a result of Ottoman expansion into southern Europe, Charles V of Spain (and Malta) handed Malta to the Knights of St. John, expelled from Rhodes by the Turks in 1522. The Knights had a fleet, so Mdina did not suit them as capital and they based themselves around the Grand Harbor, first at Birgu and then in newly built Senglea. Miraculously, the Knights outlasted the Turks during the Great Siege in 1565 and immediately thereafter began construction of a new walled capital city, Valletta. The Knights would later undergo a transformation, becoming a monastic order, sworn to a life of poverty, hardly suitable for a government.

Modern period

When Napoleon's navy appeared in 1798, the Maltese welcomed the French as liberators. Many of the knights were also French so Malta changed hands without a battle. The French, however, in the grips of revolutionary fervor, became very unpopular very quickly, as they began auctioning the property of the Carmelite convent in Mdina.

The Maltese rose up, forcing the French into Valletta, which they held until the British intervened in 1800. The British considered returning Malta to the knights, but the residents preferred British patronage, hoping for home rule. They were only partially successful, becoming a Crown Colony. The British made Malta their Mediterranean naval base, but somehow their investments did not spread throughout the countryside. The Maltese remained very poor, and rioted against the British in 1919. The result was a Maltese parliament in 1921. Stability was still not attained and everything would wait until after the Second World War. The Maltese gained independence in 1964 and established a republic in 1974, electing their own president. The last British troops left in 1979.