Maltese prehistory rewritten: Hunter-gatherers reached islands earlier than believed

Malta’s history has been pushed back by a millennium following the discovery that hunter-gatherers reached the islands 8,500 years ago—at least 1,000 years before the arrival of the first Neolithic farmers.

The find is being hailed as the most revolutionary in Maltese prehistory since Sir Temi Zammit’s discovery of the Neolithic temples in the 1920s. It introduces a Mesolithic phase that radically alters the established timeline, which until now began with the Għar Dalam phase and excluded a hunter-gatherer presence prior to agriculture.

The discovery was made during excavations at the L-Għar ta’ Latnija cave site, which began in 2019 as part of a scientific consortium led by Prof. Eleanor Scerri of the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Malta.

Researchers uncovered stone tools, hearths, and food waste—evidence of a Mesolithic community that relied on hunting and gathering. The remains shed new light not only on human history but also on Malta’s natural history, revealing a wider range of wild fauna than previously assumed.

“They were hunting and cooking red deer alongside tortoises and birds, including some that were extremely large and are now extinct,” said Prof. Scerri during a press conference announcing the discovery.

Evidence was also found of cooked seals, fish such as grouper, as well as crabs, sea urchins—and even whales—suggesting a community highly attuned to the exploitation of marine resources.

Most strikingly, the evidence shows that these early inhabitants crossed over 100 kilometres of open sea from Sicily, likely using simple dugout canoes. This now stands as the oldest known example of long-distance seafaring in the Mediterranean—predating the use of sailboats.

“This was an astonishing feat,” said Prof. Nicholas Vella, co-investigator of the study at the University of Malta. “These people likely relied on sea currents, prevailing winds, landmarks, and the stars to make their way here.”

The discovery also raises new questions about the extinction of endemic species on Malta and other remote Mediterranean islands, and whether Mesolithic communities were connected through maritime routes.

“The results add a thousand years to Maltese prehistory and force a re-evaluation of the seafaring abilities of Europe’s last hunter-gatherers, as well as their connections and ecological impact,” said Prof. Scerri.

The research was supported by Malta’s Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and funded by the European Research Council and the University of Malta’s Research Excellence Award.