Findings uncovered in a cave on Malta suggest that hunter-gatherers explored the beautiful Mediterranean island far earlier than people started farming on continental Europe. Should this be accurate, these 8,500-year-old discoveries indicate such activity. archeological site appears to contradict commonly held assumptions about societal development among the continent’s last Mesolithic Communities. The researchers released their findings on April 9th in Nature , and suggest that up to a thousand years of Maltese prehistory might require reassessment.
The progression of ancient societies typically follows this sequence: initially farming, followed by exploration of the open sea. This occurs mainly because the equipment and methods required for agriculture usually precede those necessary for maritime navigation. seafaring technology For instance, sails came into use only after the development of agricultural implements. Consequently, many archaeologists previously held the belief that Mediterranean islands such as Malta remained among the final wild areas uninhabited by humans.
Nonetheless, a cave site called Latnija in Malta’s northern Mellieha area is compelling scholars to reconsider established historical accounts. At this location, scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Malta have discovered indications of human habitation on the island dating back approximately 8,500 years—about 1,000 years prior to when the earliest agricultural settlers were thought to have appeared. Specifically, artifacts found at Latnija included stone implements and remnants of fireplaces, along with residues of prepared meals. These remains also featured traces of fauna presumed to be extinct on the island by then.
We discovered substantial proof of various wild creatures, such as Red Deer, which many believed had vanished by then," stated Eleanor Scerri, who led the research. "These people hunted and cooked these deer along with tortoises and birds, some of which were enormous and are now extinct.
Apart from terrestrial creatures, the prepared meals incorporated an extensive variety of aquatic life including seals and fish, along with myriad gastropods, crabs, and sea urchins.
However, exactly how long was this stretch of open sea that these hunter-gatherers traversed for those Maltese gatherings? Experts suggest it was a minimum distance of 62 miles (100 kilometers). What’s even more astounding is that these early navigators probably undertook such voyages using basic hollow log boats and without the assistance of sails.
By depending on oceanic currents and dominant wind patterns, along with utilizing natural markers like landmarks and celestial bodies for navigation, a journey spanning approximately 100 kilometers could be accomplished at an average pace of around 4 kilometers per hour," explained study co-author Nicholas Vella, noting further that "even during the summer solstice, these navigators would still face multiple hours navigating through dark waters.
The researchers involved think that their discoveries might prompt serious reconsideration of Europe’s final era of hunter-garerers and how they affected the environment surrounding them. It's plausible that certain native animal groups on Malta and various other far-off Mediterranean islands may have vanished partly because of human activity. This finding also increases the likelihood of previously unrecognized maritime connections among Mesolithic peoples.
"The findings push back Maltese prehistory by a millennium and necessitate a reassessment of the maritime skills of Europe's final hunter-gatherers, along with their interactions and ecological effects," stated Scerri.