![]() ![]() In 535 AD, Malta joined Byzantium under Emperor Justinian. Little Latinization occurred, and this can be seen in the account given by Saint Luke in his Acts of the Apostles, where the inhabitants are described as barbarians, that is, speakers of a language that is neither Greek nor Latin. ![]() And for almost a thousand years, Malta was Roman, a small republic within a great republic. C., just at the beginning of the second Punic War. Considering it a strategic point for their war against Carthage, the Romans conquered Malta in 218 BC. The Romans, however, did not give up Malta so easily. The Phoenicians were replaced by the Carthaginians, who tightened their control over Malta when the Romans sacked the islands around 255 BC. The name Malta (probably from malet, meaning refuge) goes back a long way. The roots of Maltese are Phoenician: the closest language of the Arabic languages that has similar striking features is Lebanese, even if the subsequent colonization of Malta brought radical changes in Maltese. The Phoenicians came to Malta and settled here, bringing with them trade and, of course, their language. There are remains of the Early Neolithic in Malta, with some of the earliest and most striking evidence to be seen at Gray and Red Skorba (Sqolba) and at the magnificent temples of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien and Ggantija in Gozo. The evidence, in fact, is so striking that it is not surprising that Malta was considered one of the two Sicilies when it fell under the jurisdiction of that kingdom. Very similar forms of archaeological evidence corroborate the theory that the first settlers were Sicilians. There is also evidence that Malta was part of a bridge linking Africa to Europe due to fossils and skeletal remains of animals that are no longer endemic to the islands. To go back to the beginning, it is not easy to establish exactly how the first settlers arrived in Malta, although it is believed that they could have arrived from Sicily. Malta became a Republic in 1974 and achieved independence in 1964. Malta’s main industry is tourism, followed by textile manufacturing and component construction. Malta covers an area of approximately 317 square kilometers, and the population is now close to 440,000. ![]() The capital city of Malta is Valletta, and the main city of Gozo is Victoria. I am particularly interested in the medieval history of the Maltese islands, and to this I owe much to Professor Godfrey Wettinger (University of Malta) for his tireless research and love of the period, to Professor Anthony Bonanno (University of Malta) for his important contribution to the study of antiquity in Malta, and to the documented works of Rev. There was even talk of wars.Ĭhances are a rich history of the islands can be accessed and there are various online sites and research books dealing with the subject. ![]() For many years the archipelago had been conquered and colonized, and the islands boast a rich variety of history, culture, a rich mix of languages and customs whose roots go back to the earliest Phoenician settlements in Malta, long before the Punic. It is located 60 miles from the southern tip of Sicily and about 180 miles from North Africa. The Maltese archipelago is located in the heart of the Inland Sea, the old name given to the Mediterranean, (which in Latin means center of the earth). ![]()
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