The Maltese islands have witnessed more than six thousand years of intensive human activity. The presence of every generation of inhabitants has left its mark on the islands. The landscape that we see today has been shaped and reshaped by people in the past, to meet their changing needs. As a result of the small extent of the archipelago (only around 316 square kilometres), the islands are characterised by an unusually high density of archaeological traces of past inhabitants.

Among the more remarkable of the archaeological sites found in Malta, there are a series of megalithic monuments, built between the 4th millennium BC and the 3rd millennium BC. These extraordinary buildings are considered to be the oldest freestanding buildings in the world, and are inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Another unique site from this period is the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, a multi-levelled burial complex carved out of the living rock.

Sites from later periods include Bronze Age defended settlements, Phoenician sanctuaries and rock-cut tombs, Roman villas in the countryside and by the sea, late Roman and Byzantine Catacombs, and Islamic burial grounds.

This wealth of archaeological evidence bears witness to the different cultures, belief systems, and strategies of survival and exploitation that people have used in these islands in different ages. This evidence may also teach important lessons for the development of sustainable ways life on the islands in the future.