Small, distant islands are often seen as isolated enclaves, which man reached only with the development of agriculture and advanced technologies. However, new research conducted by the Institute of Geoanthropology Max Planck and the Maltese University undermine this view, revealing the fascinating and previously unknown chapter of the Mediterranean prehistory.
Malta History of settlement
Until now, it has been thought that the first human settlements were dated about 7500 years back, giving rise to one of the oldest megalithic civilizations in Europe. Meanwhile, a sensational discovery in the Latnija cave, located in the picturesque town of Mellieha in the north of the island, moves this border by over a thousand years. Archaeologists came across evidence of man’s presence during the Mesolithic period (11000 -7000 PNE), which show that Malta was inhabited by hunting and zbiera communities long before the appearance of agriculture.
– This discovery completely changes the current idea of the history of the region and prompts to rethink the existing assumptions regarding the migration of the population in the Mediterranean – emphasizes the Maltese tourist organization.
What’s more, research indicates that the original inhabitants of Malta had extraordinary sailing skills. They were able to cover significant sea distances (up to 100 km) long before the arrival of the Neolithic era (7000-1700 BC). They used knowledge about dominant winds and sea currents, and also navigated the stars and known landmarks along the coast.
Scientists emphasize that until now it was thought that people were unable to reach these islands or settle them before the arrival of agriculture.
– The greater it arouses the amazement that this took place before the invention of sailing boats. To move the hunter-gatramers most likely used simple grooves powered by muscle force with oars-we read in a message.
This discovery is not only an important step in studying Malta’s prehistory, but also another proof of ingenuity, courage and adaptive abilities of distant residents of the Mediterranean region. In the country, this find was hailed as the greatest breakthrough in research on the prehistory of this island country since the discovery of neolithic temples by Temi Zammit in the 1920s.
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