Overview

• Archaeological findings in Malta show that Stone Age hunter-gatherers arrived on the island 8,500 years ago, 1,000 years earlier than previously thought.
• Excavations uncovered stone tools, animal bones, and evidence of cooking, indicating sustained human habitation for a millennium.
• The journey to Malta likely involved 100-kilometer open-water crossings using dugout canoes, requiring advanced navigation skills and knowledge of currents and stars.
• Radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis suggest widespread maritime activity and inter-island connections among prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities.
• These findings challenge long-held assumptions that systematic seafaring was exclusive to later farming civilizations, highlighting the sophistication of Mesolithic maritime cultures.