Malta rests on an underwater ridge which stretches from Sicily to North Africa, and long, long ago was submerged beneath the sea. Slowly, the ridge was pushed above the water, closing the Strait of Gibraltar, and lowering the sea level. As the level lowered Malta rose from the water and became part of a land bridge that connected the continents. The bones of elephants, hippopotamuses, and other African species have been found inside caves on the islands, along with European species as well.
The first people settled in Malta circa 5900 BC and most likely came from Sicily. They were primarily a farming and fishing community and lived in open caverns. Evidence of changing pottery style suggests that they also had contact with other cultures and gained influence from them in the small communities.
Around 3600 BC is when the Temple period started, and is when they started erecting the monoliths that are so famous today. The temples in Ġgantija are some of the oldest free standing buildings in the world. The civilization that built the temples lasted for about 1,500 years until it dissipated around 2350 BC. During the bronze age various villages and dolmens, large stone altars, were built, but the people who created them disappeared just like their ancestors.
In around the 8th century BC Phoneticians started to colonize the islands and use them as outposts so they could expand their trade and explorations throughout the Mediterranean. They were intelligent people and legendary sailors and traders. The Phoneticians where the ones who gave Malta it's name, calling it Maleth meaning shelter or safe haven. During the 6th century BC Malta fell under the rule of Carthage, a Phonetician colony that turned into the capital of the Punic empire. Slowly Malta became a center for trading and by the 4th century BC it served as a trading port which connected Italy and Sicily to North Africa. Due to the influx of different cultures a strong Hellenistic influence began to emerge, although it was unknown if Malta became an actual Greek colony. The Greek language also became used alongside Phonetician as seen in inscriptions like the Cippi of Melqart.
During the Punic Wars which took place between 264 - 146 B.C, the Romans seized control of Malta from the Carthaginians. During the rule of the Romans Malta seems to have prospered and began to be mentioned in records. Cicero, the Roman senator, even mentioned the importance of the Temple of Juno on Melite (Malta). Throughout this time Latin becomes the official language and the Roman religion was introduced to the people, although Hellenistic culture and language survived until the 1st century. When the Roman Empire split into two, Malta came under rule of the East, which became the Byzantine Empire. Starting in the 7th century the Mediterranean became threatened by the Arabs, and the Byzantines fortified Maltese cities by building defensive stone walls.
In the year 870 AD a group of Arabs called the Aghlabids conquered the islands and besieged the Byzantine city of Melite. It's unknown how long the siege lasted but its speculated to have gone on for weeks or months. After the city fell, the Arabs pillaged and slaughtered, destroying the city and slaughtering the inhabitants. According to Al-Himyarī Malta remained uninhabited until it was recolonized in 1048 by a Muslim community and their slaves who rebuilt the city of Melite and named it Medina, although it's unsure if this recounting is accurate or not. In 1053 the Byzantines tried to recapture Medina but failed, leaving it under Arab rule.
The Normans arrived and conquered the island in 1091, turning the Muslim leaders into their vassals. In 1127 the Normans fully established control, and the island stayed under the Kingdom of Sicily for nearly 440 years. In this period Malta was sold to various nobility and ended up going between Swabian rulers, The Crown of Aragon, The Crown of Castile, and Spain. Eventually The Crown of Aragon joined forces with The Crown of Castile in 1479 and became part of the Spanish Empire. By the end of the 15th century all the Muslim inhabitants of Malta were forced to convert to Christianity.
The early 16th century saw the spreading of the Ottoman Empire, who had already made it to South East Europe. Hoping to protect Rome from an invasion from the south in 1530 Charles V gave the island to the order of the Knights of St. John. Over the next 275 years they embraced the island as home and made Italian the official language. They built towns, churches, forts, and enhanced the culture of the island with art. On May 18th, 1565 the Ottomans besieged the fort of St. Elmo in Malta, and after a month of fighting the Knights of St. John, the Turks stopped the siege and attempted in a different place, to no avail. On the 8th of September the Ottomans conceded defeat after their army of 40,000 had been defeated by a force of 9,000, most of whom were Maltese citizens.
After the battle with the Ottomans the Oder began working on a new city with more fortifications than any other, building it in the same place the Ottomans had based at, and named it Valletta. The power of the order decreased over the years and their control of the islands was ended when Napoleon visited in 1798 on his journey to Egypt. After being refused water for resupply Napoleon sent a division to Grand Master Hompesch of the Knights of St. John, who surrendered to them. The next day a treaty was signed that gave the islands to the French Republic.
Two years later in 1800 Malta voluntarily became part of the British Empire, using them for protection against the French. In 1921 Malta was granted home rule, and in 1934 Maltese was declared an official language. Life on the islands was uneventful until World War II, where they experienced several bombings and were used by the allies as an entry point into Sicily. After the war King George VI presented the nation with a George Cross, the highest civilian award for gallantry. President Roosevelt also presented them with a United States Presidential Citation which read, in part, "Under repeated fire from the skies, Malta stood alone and unafraid in the center of the sea, one tiny bright flame in the darkness – a beacon of hope for the clearer days which have come."
Post war the mood in Malta was quickly shifting towards one of independence, and in 1964 Malta passed The Malta Independence Act, and ten years later in 1974 they became a republic.