Malta is located in the Mediterranean Sea and is unparalleled in its archeological findings. This island is between southern Italy and Northern Africa. Directly before the discovery of all archeological artifacts, the British used this island as a naval base because the island was the perfect staging point for trade, war, and all sea travels. British use of the island led to the archaeological interest in the island.
Arthur Issel, an English scientist came to Malta looking for fossils. He found artifacts throughout the fields of Malta. Another important discovery was the Hypogeum. This was an ancient temple, or burial chamber. The British found this building in about 1899 during construction projects, but they did not reveal its existence until 1902 when construction of the houses around it was finished. The temple was officially discovered and excavated by Sir Temi Zammi. The temple was opened in 1913 to the public. In 1992 the temple was closed to public viewing for restoration which was necessary as tourism had caused much damage to it. The Hypogeum, along with other megalithic structures found throughout Malta are evidence of a complex culture and set of beliefs.
From excavation of both the fields of Malta and the Hypogeum many ancient objects and fossils were found. The oldest evidence shows that man first appeared on Malta around the Pleistocene epoch. Human fossils were also found as definite evidence that man was present approximately 100,000 years ago. Many human remains were also found in a grotto at Ghardalam. The Maltese Islands, were connected to Sicily and Africa during the Pleistocene. They began separating from Africa first, and then from Sicily. As the Maltese Islands, Sicily and the rest of Europe separated from North Africa, animals began moving south to the warmer areas of the Maltese Islands. However, since this entire land mass was now separated from Northern Africa, the animals reached a dead end at the Maltese Islands. As they separated from Sicily, Malta became an isolated area with unique animals. Many fossil remains of the animals have been found. Elephants and hippopotamus are the most commonly found animals. However, they are dwarves compared to modern elephants and hippopotamus. Also, other animals that are small today were gigantic in size on the island. An example is found in the swans.
References:
GHAR DALAM: by Bernard Nantet.
Hal Saflieni Hypogeum on the Web: Malta's Hidden Jewel http://www.magnet.mt/home/museums/etext/index.html