By Albert Fenech
I have said it time and time again and do so with pride – per square metre of land, Malta and Gozo are the richest countries in the world, relating to the origins and development of this universal planet.
Let me clarify this. I am not meaning that any event in Malta and Gozo are more important than the first landing of a satellite on the moon, or the discoveries of the Americas. These were momentous in their own rights but they are part of developments rather than being of the origins of events.
For years it had been assumed that the first signs of habitation and civilisation in the Maltese Islands went back to 5,000/7,000 BC – probably amongst the oldest in the world.
Now it has been ascertained that in Għar tal-Latnija in Mellieħa traces were found of the presence of humans in Malta that go back 1,000 years further than was currently being assumed thus, 8,000BC.
Researchers have unearthed remains at the Għar tal-Latnija in Mellieħa that show the presence of humans in the Maltese Islands started 1,000 years before previously believed by archaeologists.
This large cavern holds groundbreaking evidence of Mesolithic-era human presence in Malta, including stone tools, hearths, ash deposits, and faunal remains — a discovery that rewrites our understanding of early human settlement and seafaring in the Mediterranean.
The then visiting Leader of the Opposition before his resignation, Dr Bernard Grech, appealed that this site be given the necessary protection as required in an investment in the Malta University’s Archaeology Department to have facilities and a laboratory as required for researches at this level.
Dr Grech was with University Professor Eleanor Scerri, who together with Professor Nicholas Vella led the investigations for this extraordinary discovery from the Mesolithic era – prior to the Stone Age era by 1,000 years.
This discovery is considered as significant as the latest Maltese history archaeologist Sir Temi Zammit’s identification of Malta’s megalithic temples in the early 1900s and fundamentally re-writes Malta’s history by introducing the previously unknown Mesolithic phase, extending the chronology of human presence on the island by approximately 1,000 years.
The discovery of this locality had enough significant evidence of the presence of human beings in the Mesolithic era including some stone tools and implements, sharpened wooden prods, deposits of ashes and human remains as well as indications that some sea faring was possible.
Latnija Cave is situated in the northwestern region of Malta near Cirkewwa, within the limits of Mellieħa. The cave is approximately 25 metres high and opens toward the sea. Its sheltered position and proximity to marine resources made it an ideal location for prehistoric human habitation.
Today, the site remains popular with hikers, climbers, and campers, particularly because Mellieħa Bay is the most popular expansive sandy bay in Malta – and a great attraction to tourists as well as locals.
In recent months the archaeologist Professor Eleanor Scerri emphasised the importance of this cavern and the curiosity it had taken such a long time to be traced and revealed.
Ir is now clear that the first humans in Malta and Gozo sheltered and lived in this impressive cavern and this changed the whole background as to the first reasons of human beings in Malta and Gozo.
It set the delivery clock by a further 1,000 years before the previous oldest which were Hagar Qim and Għar Dalam.
Immediate steps were taken by the Mellieħa Local Council to seal off and protect this cavern from any further public human entry and to enable experts to continue discovering their findings.
A public appeal was launched to value and appreciate all of this – both the work being carried out and the historic discovery that significantly reshapes the understanding of the earliest human presence in Malta.
In 2019, a scientific consortium led by Professor Eleanor Scerri from the University of Malta together with Professor Nicholas Vella also of the University of Malta, began systematic excavations at Latnija Cave. After nearly six years of excavations, research, and rigorous testing, the team published their findings in the prestigious April 2025 scientific journal Nature.
Prior to this discovery, the first known inhabitants of Malta were believed to be Neolithic farmers who arrived around 7,500 years ago and later built the megalithic temples for which the islands are famous.
However, dating by radiocarbon of charcoal and animal remains from Latnija Cave indicates a much earlier human presence dating to approximately 8,500 years ago, and possibly as far back as 9,000 years ago.
The layers show repeated use over time, suggesting seasonal or intermittent habitation rather than a one-time landing or accident. This indicates that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers established a pattern of returning to Malta regularly, demonstrating a deep mental mapping of the sea and island landscape.
The excavations yielded numerous stone tools made primarily from local limestone, with only one artifact discovered. Most tools were fashioned from beach cobbles, pebbles, or terrestrial outcrops. These implements, similar microliths and bladelets found in Sicily, were designed for hunting and cutting.
The tool technology is notably different from the more complex tools of the later Neolithic period, which included chert (both local and imported) and small amounts of imported obsidian.
The excavations revealed extensive evidence of the hunter-gatherers’ diet and food processing methods. Thousands of animal bones were discovered, many showing signs of being cooked. The dietary remains include:
- Cooked fish and marine resources (sea snails, sea urchins, seals)
- Deerbones (including an endemic species approximately half the size of modern European deer)
- Tortoise remains
- Fox bones (possibly skinned for fur)
- Bird remains, including extremely large species.
The entrance to the cave
The site features multiple hearths and fire use evidence, including thick beds of ash containing charcoal, charred bones, and carbonized wild plants and seeds.
The hunter-gatherers used local vegetation such as lentisk (which still grows near the site today) as fuel1.
These dietary patterns are typical of other Mesolithic communities found in coastal areas like in Sicily, but differ significantly from the diets of the Neolithic farmers who arrived later.
The discovery also necessitated updates to school textbooks, university courses, and museum exhibits to incorporate this newly discovered Mesolithic period in Maltese history.
By Albert Fenech
