A visit to the Maltese National Museum of Archaeology

Students of Grade 9, (second year of secondary school) went on an educational outing to the National Museum of Archaelogy. This outing was organised by their teacher of History Ms. Alison Dunn.  One of the students, Elizabeth Grech, wrote about her experience on this outing.

"The Pre-Historic exhibit in the Museum of Archaeology in Valletta is extremely interesting. With the first evidence of the first humans in Malta in 5200B.C found at Ghar Dalam in Birzebbuga, we can see that pre-historic people used tools, some made of flint, and through this we can determine that pre- historic people were very intelligent. Pottery similar to that found in Sicily was found in Malta which suggests that people from Sicily might have come to Malta.

The discovery of Obsidian glass was a very important one as this glass is made from volcanic rock and we do not have any volcanoes in Malta. This could mean that pre-historic people traded items from one country to another. This could also suggest that people came from abroad, most probably from Sicily since it is quite close.

Skorba was another very important archaeological site since here, archaeologists found the very first evidence of settlements in Malta. Pottery found at Skorba can be divided into two parts: The Grey Skorba Phase and The Red Skorba phase. The Grey Skorba Phase pottery had a grey-like colour whereas the Red Skorba phase pottery had a red-like colour. At the Museum one can also see Red Ochre.  It was a colour that was used a lot in pre-historic art and even in temple decorating.     

Hal Saflieni was another discovery made in Malta. Hal Saflieni was an underground burial site and one room was decorated using spirals. These people believed in an afterlife, they might have used the spirals to symbolised eternity, or simply as a decoration.

It is important to know that Malta is home to the oldest standing temples in the world, these are the Ggantija temples. They were built in 3600B.C.

Pre-historic man used rounded boulders to roll huge slabs of rock, called Megaliths, on from one place to another; this made it easier to carry rather than pulling and tugging it on the flat ground.

There is also an abundance of interesting figures that represent the Fat Lady, also known as the Mother Goddess or the Goddess of Fertility. She is probably portrayed as fat to symbolise fertility. If women are fertile then the population and tribe will increase in number and the people will not die out.

Animal figures were also important in pre-historic art as animals were a main source of food. They might have drawn these animal figures to wish for luck before a hunt, or after a successful hunt as thanks. They might also have been drawn in temples to portray sacrifices that the people offered to their gods. The fact that freezes of fish were found in Buggiba may suggest that the people there were fishermen, since Buggiba is close to the sea.

This visit to the National Museum of Archaeology shows us that the island of Malta, however small it may be, has an extremely rich heritage and us Maltese should appreciate it and be proud of it."