Prehistory
Before the cities. Before written records.
From the first communities to monumental stone buildings. Start with the underground world at Paola.
Follow this story ↗Pick a century. Follow the plot.
Follow the turning points that shaped the Maltese islands.
Ancient Malta
Phoenician connections. Roman floor goals.
Malta was part of a connected Mediterranean. A buried house reveals one Roman chapter.
Follow this story ↗Medieval Malta
A capital before Valletta.
Mdina and its fortifications carry the story into the medieval centuries.
Follow this story ↗1530–1798
Knights. A siege. A brand-new capital.
Jump to the Order’s arrival, then trace the siege and Valletta’s foundation.
Follow this story ↗1798–1800
Napoleon changes the chapter.
French forces arrive in 1798, ending the Order’s government.
Follow this story ↗1800–1964
Trains, trams and a changing island.
Malta’s passenger railway opened in 1883. Find the traces of a vanished network.
Follow this story ↗1964 onwards
Independence. A republic. New connections.
Different milestones mark the making of modern Malta.
Follow this story ↗A quick route through the past, not a complete list of periods. Explore VisitMalta’s historical overview ↗
11 QUICK READS · FOLLOW A THREAD
VallettaExplored ✓New city. Who dis?
A siege ends. A capital begins. Meet Valletta’s origin story.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗MaltaExplored ✓1964 ≠ 1974. Here’s why.
Independence and becoming a republic are two different milestones.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.NeolithicGħar Dalam, Birżebbuġa
Għar Dalam, BirżebbuġaExplored ✓Before the knights, there were farmers.
Start the story thousands of years before Valletta existed.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Phoenician eraTas-Silġ, Marsaxlokk
Tas-Silġ, MarsaxlokkExplored ✓Malta was connected before Wi-Fi.
A sanctuary tells a story of Mediterranean connections.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Roman periodRabat
RabatExplored ✓Roman Malta had serious floor goals.
A buried townhouse brings Roman daily life into focus.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.Medieval eraMdina
MdinaExplored ✓Malta had a capital before Valletta.
Meet the hilltop city with a much longer backstory.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1530Birgu
BirguExplored ✓The Knights arrive. Valletta doesn’t exist yet.
Their early headquarters overlooked the Grand Harbour.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1565Fort St Elmo, Valletta
Fort St Elmo, VallettaExplored ✓A small fort. A huge struggle.
The Great Siege begins before Valletta becomes a city.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1798Malta
MaltaExplored ✓Napoleon enters the chat.
A French fleet brings the Knights’ Maltese rule to an end.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.1942Malta
MaltaExplored ✓The award that ended up on a flag.
Malta’s George Cross connects wartime experience with national memory.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗A LITTLE HISTORY. A BIG STORY.2004Malta
MaltaExplored ✓A new chapter, with nine other countries.
1 May 2004: Malta joins the European Union.
1-minute rabbit hole ↗