The first Neolithic settlements in Malta are thought to have taken place at around 5000 BC when small communities settled in Malta after sailing from the south coasts of Sicily. There is however no archaeological evidence of this, but other more important evidence of Neolithic settlements in Malta exists - stone structures, and most importantly, Neolithic temples with those of Mnajdra, Hagar Qim and Ggantija being the most important. Irrespective of the isolation from mainland Europe, the first settlers used their creativity to erect the Neolithic temples. The Neolithic temples of Malta and Gozo are evidence of the greatest manifestations of creative achievement because they are monuments which are unique when compared to other European megalithic sites. The Neolithic Temples of Malta are a clear evidence of architecture in that they were designed to be buildings in themselves combining the monumental with interior arrangements and elaborate design. Those found in Europe are in the form of lone megaliths aligned in linear form, or the building of stone circles. Malta has the oldest free-standing stone structures which even exceed the earliest stone constructions of Egypt - the Pyramids; and older even than Stonehenge. The book Malta Before History published by Miranda Publishers, with contributions by valid and renowned historians amongst whom is Lord Colin Renfrew, gives a detailed account of the Neolithic temples found in Malta.

Malta Before History
An archaeological, academic and pictorial analysis of Malta's pre-history embodied in the oldest freestanding stone buildings in the world on the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo.

Malta Before History explores the stone structures, known locally as 'the temples' that are older than the pyramids in Egypt, the sites of Mesopotamia and Stonehenge in England. This unique publication, with a foreword by renowned historian Lord Colin Renfrew, brings the Maltese Islands to the attention of new generations of historians and academics as well as readers and travellers who enjoy the uniqueness of history and have never before discovered Malta was the home of such superb ancient sites. To quote Lord Renfrew, 'something exceptional took place in Malta more than 5,000 years ago and there is nowhere else in the world that can boast of great stone monuments at so early a date'. Two of the locations examined in this publication, the megalithic temples and the Saflieni Hypogeum were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1980.

Extraordinary facts unfold about the mysterious origins of prehistoric Maltese man and how he constructed such unmatched architecture. Chapters include studies on The Building of Megalithic Malta and The Bronze Age as well as the enigma of the Cart Ruts and whether the 'Fat Lady' was really a god or a goddess. Equally important is a chapter showing how recent radiocarbon dating has proved that Malta's prehistory and its standing stone monuments are much older than archaeologists had first assumed. Authors include David Trump, Anthony Pace, Anthony