C 5000 BC. NEOLITHIC FARMERS ARRIVE IN MALTA, PROBABLY FROM SICILY WHICH IS JUST 58 MILES AWAY.

5000-4000 BC. THE SKORBA TEMPLES ARE CONSTRUCTED, NEAR TO PRESENT DAY MGARR IN THE NORTH WEST OF THE ISLAND. THE TEMPLES WERE BUILT IN TWO PHASES; GGANTIJA 3600-3200 BC; AND TARXIEN, 3150-2500 BC.

SOME OF THE STONE BLOCKS WEIGH OVER A TON, AND WERE TRANSPORTED OVER OPEN COUNTRYSIDE. THESE TEMPLES ARE AMONG THE OLDEST FREESTANDING STRUCTURES IN THE WORLD, AND HAVE BEEN DECLARED A WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

THE HYPOGEUM IN PAOLA DATES FROM 3000 BC. THIS UNDERGROUND COMPLEX OF CHAMBERS WAS DISCOVERED  BY ACCIDENT IN 1902, BY WORKERS EXCAVATING A WELL. THE REMAINS OF 6000-7000 HUMAN BODIES WERE FOUND THERE, ALONG WITH PERSONAL ITEMS, AND POTTERY DATING FROM THAT PERIOD. THE WHOLE SITE COVERS 800 SQUARE METRES, AND WAS CONSTRUCTED ON THREE LEVELS, DOWN TO A DEPTH OF 12 METRES. IT WAS CARVED BY HAND OUT OF THE SOLID LIMESTONE WITH FLINT AND BONE TOOLS.

2500-700 BC. BRONZE AND IRON AGE FORTIFIED VILLAGES BEGIN TO APPEAR. CART RUTS MADE BY "SLIDE CARTS" TO CARRY HEAVY LOADS OF STONE HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED FROM THIS PERIOD. ALSO, THE MANY DOLMEN, (STONE BURIAL CHAMBERS) SUCH AS THE ONE AT TA' HAMMUD DATE FROM ABOUT THIS TIME.

700-218 BC. THE PHONECIANS COLONISE THE ISLANDS, AND THROUGH TRADE WITH THE WESTERN MEDITTERANEAN, BRING PROSPERITY TO THE ISLANDS. THEIR DECENDANTS, THE CARTHAGINIANS, FROM THEIR BASE IN TUNIS, GIVE MALTA A STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, DUE TO THE INCREASING THREAT OF INVASION FROM THE ROMAN EMPIRE IN SOUTHERN ITALY.

218 BC. THE ROMANS INVADE MALTA DURING THE 2nd PUNIC WAR.

THE ISLANDS BECOME PROSPEROUS UNDER ROMAN RULE, AND MANY IMPORTANT TOWNS ARE ESTABLISHED: EXAMPLES, ARE WHERE MDINA AND VICTORIA NOW STAND.

AD60. St. PAUL THE APOSTLE IS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN SHIPWRECKED ON THE ISLAND AND CONVERSION OF THE ISLANDS TO CHRISTIANITY BEGINS.

5th-6th CENTURY. ROMAN INFLUENCE AND POWER DIMINISH AND THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE GAINS CONTROL OF MALTA.

AD. 670. THE ARAB NATION CONQUERS MALTA FROM THEIR BASE IN NEARBY SICILY AND CONTROL THE ISLAND FOR OVER 200 YEARS. THEIR INFLUENCE IS STILL APPARENT IN THE MALTESE LANGUAGE AND THE MANY PLACE NAMES OF ARABIC ORIGIN.

1090. ROGER THE NORMAN LEADS A SUCCESSFUL INVASION FROM HIS KINGDOM IN SICILY, AND RESTORES CHRISTIAN FAITH TO THE ISLANDS.

1282. AFTER PERIODS OF GERMAN AND FRENCH OCCUPATION. MALTA COMES UNDER THE RULE OF THE SPANISH.

1530. MALTA IS GIVEN OVER TO THE KNIGHTS OF THE ORDER OF St. JOHN, BY CHARLES V OF SPAIN. THEY OCCUPY THE ISLANDS; MAKING BIRGU, (VITTORIOSA) THEIR HEADQUARTERS.

1565. THE GREAT SIEGE OF MALTA TAKES PLACE: THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE INVADES MALTA AND LAYS SIEGE TO FOUR FORTRESSES: THE THREE AROUND THE GRAND HARBOUR OF VALLETTA, (St. ELMO, St. ANGELO AND St. MICHAEL), AND THE CAPITAL AT THAT TIME, MDINA IN THE CENTRE OF THE ISLAND. THE OTTOMAN ARE FORCED TO ABANDON THE ISLAND, AFTER SUFFERING 25,000-35,000 CASUALTIES, AS OPPOSED TO THE KNIGHTS' 2,500.  SEVEN THOUSAND MALTESE MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN ALSO PERISHED DURING THE CONFLICT.

1571. THE MALTESE CAPITAL MOVES FROM BIRGU, TO VALLETTA.

1798-1800. THE FRENCH UNDER NAPOLEON INVADE, AND PLUNDER MALTA. THE KNIGHTS OF St JOHN ARE ORDERED OFF THE ISLAND. THE MALTESE THEN RISE UP AGAINST THE FRENCH; AND AIDED BY THE BRITISH, BESIEGE THE MAIN FRENCH GARRISON. THE BRITISH THEN OCCUPY THE ISLAND.

1921. SELF GOVERNMENT GIVES MALTA RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS OWN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS.

1940-1942. DURING WORLD WAR TWO, AIR RAIDS BEGAN ON MALTA . OVER 6000 TONNES OF BOMBS WERE DROPPED ON MALTA IN APRIL 1942 ALONE. AFTER 134 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF BOMBING, THE MALTESE PEOPLE WERE AWARDED THE GEORGE CROSS FOR BRAVERY.

1962-1964. THE STATE OF MALTA FORMALLY COMES INTO BEING, AND MALTA IS GRANTED FULL INDEPENDANCE WITHIN THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH.

2003. FOLLOWING AN INITIAL APPLICATION IN 1990, MALTA JOINS THE E.U.

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