Ancient civilisations

The Maltese islands were first settled in 5200 BC by stone age farmers who had arrived from the nearby larger island of Sicily About 3500 BC these people built the oldest free-standing structures and oldest religious structures in the world, in the form of the megalithic Ġgantija temples on Gozo, other early temples include those at Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra. Around 700 BC, there was Ancient Greek culture on Malta, especially around the area of Valletta. A century later the natives were joined on the island by Phoenician traders, who used the islands as an outpost for their trade route explorations from the east Mediterranean Sea across to Cornwall.

Roman mosaic from Rabat, Malta.
After the fall of Phoenicia, the area came under the control of people from a former Phoenician colony in 400 BC; the Carthaginians. During this time Malta was mainly used as a place to cultivate olives, carobs and produce textiles. During 218 BC in the Punic Wars tensions arose and the Maltese people rebelled against the rule of Carthage, turning over control of their garrison to Roman Republic consul Sempronius. During the Syracusan revolt Malta remained loyal to Rome and was rewarded accordingly with the title Foederata Civitas; a designation which meant a level of autonomy within the jurisdiction of Sicilia province while being allied to Rome. The island known then as Melita had its capital located in the centre, this carried the same name, though today it is known as Mdina.
In 117 BC the Maltese Islands were thriving as part of the Roman Empire and were promoted to the level of Municipium under Hadrian. During 60 AD in the north of the island at Saint Paul's Bay, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ named Saint Paul was shipwrecked on the shores. Tradition holds he stayed in Malta for three months introducing Christianity and performing various miracles. This is documented in the Bible in the Acts of the Apostles. When the Roman Empire split into the east and west divisions, Malta fell under the control of the Greek speaking Byzantine Empire which was ruled from Constantinople. Although Malta was under Byzantine rule for four centuries, not a lot is known about this period. There is evidence that Germanic tribes the Goths and the Vandals briefly took control of the islands before the Byzantines launched a counter attack and retook Malta, keeping a military presence there.

Middle Ages
See also: Byzantine-Arab Wars, Emirate of Sicily, Kingdom of Sicily, and Crown of Aragon

Roger I of Sicily returned Malta to Christian rule.
Malta was involved in the Byzantine-Arab Wars, and the conquest of Malta is closely linked with that of Sicily due to admiral Euphemius betraying his fellow Byzantines and asking the Aghlabid dynasty to invade the area. As part of the Emirate of Sicily rule switched to the Fatimids in 909. The Arabs introduced new irrigation, some fruits and cotton, as well as from the island of Sicily the Siculo-Arabic language which would eventually become Maltese. The native Christians were allowed freedom of religion but had to pay an extra tax to their rulers. After the Normans from the Duchy of Normandy had seized Sicily, they did the same on the Maltese Islands by 1091. Roger I of Sicily was according to Maltese tradition warmly welcomed by the native Christians. The Maltese offered to fight for him and Roger reportedly tore off a portion of his flag, half-red, half-white presenting it to the Maltese to fight under; the basis of the flag of Malta.
The Norman period was productive; Malta became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Sicily which also covered the island of Sicily and the southern half of the Italian Peninsula. The Catholic Church was re-insated as the state religion, with Malta under the See of Palermo and much Norman architecture sprung up around Malta. Tancred of Sicily the last Norman monarch made Malta and Gozo a feudal lordship or fief within the kingdom with a Count of Malta instated. As the islands were much desired due to their strategic importance, during this time the men of Malta were militarised to fend off capture attempts; the early counts were skilled Genoese corsairs. The kingdom passed on to the Hohenstaufens from 1194 until 1266. It was under Frederick I that any remaining Muslims were expelled from Malta in 1224 and the entire Christian male population of Celano in Abruzzo was exported to Malta.

Aragonese flag of the Kingdom of Sicily.
For a brief period the kingdom passed onto the Capetian House of Anjou, however high taxes made the dynasty unpopular in Malta, due to Charles of Anjou's war against the Republic of Genoa the island of Gozo was sacked in 1275. Following this there was a large revolt on Sicily known as the Sicilian Vespers, this saw the Peninsula part of the kingdom separating into the Kingdom of Naples; the Kingdom of Sicily including Malta instead fell under the rule of the Aragonese. The kingdom was ruled by relatives of the kings of Aragon until 1409 and then as part of the Crown of Aragon. Early on in the Aragonese reign, the Count of Malta title was given to sons of the monarchy; it was also during this time that much of the Maltese nobility sprung up. By 1397 however, the Count title was back to a feudal basis with two families fighting over it causing the Maltese distress, thus the king confiscated it. This was a familiar theme when the title was reinstated a few years later, the Maltese led by the nobility rose up against Count Gonsalvo Monroy. However, the Maltese voiced that they were loyal to the Sicilian Crown, which impressed Alfonso IV greatly who did not punish the people for their rebellion but instead promised never to grant it to a third party, incorporating it back into the crown. The city of Mdina was nicknamed Città Notabile as a result.