Buzz
Millennia before Stonehenge emerged, while many Paleolithic communities were still reliant on hunting and gathering, the people of Malta were constructing some of the largest, oldest, and most extraordinary monuments known to humanity.
Malta, along with its smaller counterparts Gozo and Comino, is home to over 50 intricately designed stone temples. Each temple boasts unique decorations featuring geometric spirals, flora, or fauna, yet most adhere to a similar layout: an oval courtyard leading to a grand southeast-facing entrance. The semi-circular inner chambers are often aligned with celestial events, ensuring the equinox sunrise is perfectly framed by the stone structures. Many of the massive building blocks weigh over 50 tons, showcasing the remarkable engineering skills of the ancient Maltese.
Hagar Qim temple (3600-3200 BCE). Dr_zoidberg, Flikr // CC BY-SA 2.0
Before the unearthing of Gobekli Tepe in Turkey, the temples of Malta held the title of the world's oldest man-made, free-standing structures. The earliest of these, Ġgantija, dates back to approximately 4100 BCE. In contrast, the iconic pyramids of Giza were constructed starting around 2470 BCE—coinciding with the decline of Malta's temple-building era. These temples symbolize a unique island civilization that thrived for over two millennia before vanishing under mysterious circumstances.
WHO BUILT THEM?
Numerous far-fetched theories have emerged to explain Malta's ancient structures, ranging from extraterrestrial involvement and the lost city of Atlantis to the idea of giants from afar bringing advanced construction techniques. Some have even suggested influences from renowned Aegean cultures like the Minoans and Mycenaeans.
However, the truth is different. Archaeological investigations over the last century have shown that Malta's megalithic temples predate the emergence of ancient Greek culture—and may have even inspired it. These structures were not the work of outsiders but rather the result of local ingenuity and effort.
Some experts believe that Malta's isolated island environment played a key role in sparking these ambitious construction projects and unconventional architectural styles. The initial settlers, possibly stranded around 16,000 years ago at the close of the Ice Age, were cut off by rising Mediterranean waters that submerged land bridges connecting Malta to Italy and nearby islands like Sicily.
The earliest settlers arrived from Sicily around the late 6th millennium BCE. Over time, they established a sophisticated agrarian society, seemingly centered around local fertility goddesses, as evidenced by the numerous votive statues unearthed in temples and burial sites. A clay figurine depicting a reclining woman, possibly a mother goddess, was discovered in the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, an underground complex dating back at least 5000 years, where the remains of over 7000 individuals have been found.
Jvdc, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0
HOW WERE THEY BUILT?
Remarkably, the Maltese constructed these monumental structures without the wheel, metal tools, or any form of written language to document their methods. So, how did they achieve such feats?
The solution lies in ball bearings. Through a complex system of carved grooves in the ground and stone, limestone blocks were transported and positioned using pulleys and specially designed limestone spheres, which allowed the stones to be rolled and adjusted as needed.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MALTESE?
For two millennia, the Maltese thrived in a culturally and artistically advanced society that outpaced many of their peers. However, around 2500 BCE, they vanished under mysterious circumstances, likely due to environmental upheaval. The islands remained uninhabited for centuries until a new, unrelated Bronze Age population eventually settled there.
A collaborative research effort involving top European universities is exploring the reasons behind this ancient society's collapse. The FRAGSUS project (Fragility and Sustainability In Restricted Island Environments) is delving into historical data to understand how the island's ecosystem may have contributed to the departure of its original inhabitants. By doing so, they aim to develop sustainable strategies for Malta and other resource-limited island nations.
