Malta's Prehistory - The Neolithic & Temple Period (5200 to 800 B.C.) The first settlers in Malta came from Sicily by boat around 5,200 B.C. These early inhabitants were Stone Age farmers and lived in caves for five or six centuries.

By 4000 B.C. rituals and elaborate burials had been introduced, and around 3,500 BC, these people built some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world in the form of the megalithic Ggantija temples on Gozo, and the temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra.

The Phoenician Period (800 to 218 B.C.) The Phoenicians came originally from the Levant, which is the area around modern Lebanon. They had a great tradition as sailors and peaceful traders. Although minimal remnants of the Phoenicians remain, the Phoenician culture and influence is displayed in burials.

The Roman and Byzantine Period (218 B.C. to 870 A.D.) After taking over Carthage, the Romans extended their influence south beyond Malta.
In 60 A.D. St Paul was shipwrecked in Malta and during his stay he converted the then pagan population and Malta has remained Christian ever since except for a period during Arab occupation.

When the Roman Empire split into Eastern and Western divisions in the 4th century, Malta fell under the control of the Greek speaking Byzantine Empire which was ruled from Constantinople.

The Arab Period (870 to 1090) In 870, Malta fell to Aghlabides, a dynasty based in Tunisia, 168 years after the death of the Prophet Mohammed. Initially it was a peaceful period, with Christians and Moslems living amicably together. The Maltese adopted aspects of Arab culture (many converted to Islam), including their language and agricultural skills, and together they carried on the earnest trade of slaving. Yet, Arabic heritage is scant on the islands: essentially they reduced the walls of Mdina, and fortifications in Birgu.

The Norman & Medieval Periods (1090 to 1530) In 1090, Count Roger the Norman drove out the Arabs in a short battle with the help of the Maltese. Count Roger immediately introduced a tri-partite feudal system of State, Church and Nobility and in spite of their Christian overlord the people remained basically Muslims.

The country only began to adopt European traditions after Malta was come under the Swabian rule (Germany) in 1197. Towards the end of the 53 reign (1197 to 1250) he indulged in his own brand of ‘ethnic cleansing’ by expelling Muslims form the islands for ever.

The Angevin rule of Malta lasted a mere 17 years. In 1266 Manfred, the last of the Swabian kings was killed in battle by Charles of Anjou, brother of Louis IX and King of France. After the Sicilian Vespers in 1283, Malta was taken over by the Aragonese. Towards the end of the 14th Century the Maltese Islands established a local governing body, the Universita, the head of which, the Hakem or Captain of the Rod, was appointed by the Sicilian monarch.

In 1412 the Aragonese line became extinct, and the islands passed to the Castilian Spanish, but very little changed – the island was still mostly pawn or prey.

The Period of the Knights (1530 to 1798) In 1523, the Knights of St. John were defeated by the Turks in a siege on Rhodes and were evicted. In late 1530, Charles V thought that Malta was an ideal base from which to defend the Central Mediterranean from Turkish raids and gave them Malta.

In May 1565, the Turks, under Suleyman's generals, attacked Malta with 180 ships and over 30,000 men. Facing them on Malta were around 6,000 knights, Maltese or mercenaries.

However the Knight's forces held out for many months throughout horrific fighting and massive assaults and by early September relief forces arrived and the Ottomans abandoned the siege and the island. After the victory many lavish new buildings were erected and the Grandmaster Jean Parisot de la Vallette laid the foundation for a new fortress city, Valletta, which bore his name and became the Maltese capital.

The Knights' reign ended when Napoleon captured Malta on the way to Egypt during the French Revolutionary Wars in 1798.

The French Period (1798 to 1800) Napoleon himself only stayed for 6 days, during which time he loaded his flagship, L'Orient with as much treasures as he could. Much of it was sunk at the Battle of the Nile and lost forever.

During his stay, Napoleon abolished slavery and all Turkish slaves were freed. He also created a primary and secondary education system and a more scientific based university replaced the old one. Once Napoleon departed the Maltese rose up and started guerilla attacks on the French occupiers. Requests were made to Nelson to help rid Malta of the French and by 1800 the Maltese forces and the British Navy, led by Nelson, drove the French out.

The British Period (1800 to 1964) When the French surrendered, Malta effectively came under British control. The British could have returned Malta to the Knights, but a petition from the Maltese asked the British to stay. Under the Treaty of Paris, Malta became a Crown colony in 1814.

During the Second World War, Malta was relentlessly bombed by German forces in an attempt to take over as Malta is very strategically placed for a European conflict. More bombs were dropped on Malta in two months in 1942 than on London in the whole of the blitz.

Such was Maltese heroism during the Second Great Siege that they were awarded the George Cross on 15 April 1942. This award is visible on the top left corner of the Maltese Flag.

Over time, the Maltese were given a measure of autonomy on local matters and domestic affairs. This lasted until 21st September 1964 when Malta at last achieved independence as a sovereign nation.