Editing History of Malta (section)

== Temple period (3850 BC–2350 BC)==
[[File:Facade Hagar Qim.jpg|thumb|The [[Megalithic Temples of Malta|megalithic temple]] of [[Ħaġar Qim]]]]
[[File:Tarxien fat lady.JPG|thumb|One of the so-called "fat ladies" of ancient Malta, at the [[Tarxien Temples]]]]
[[File:Malta Valletta BW 2011-10-07 15-08-04.JPG|thumb|Spiral motif from one of the megalithic temples, now at the [[National Museum of Archaeology, Malta|National Museum of Archaeology]]]]
{{main|Megalithic Temples of Malta}}

A second wave of colonization arrived from Sicily in around 3850&nbsp;BC.<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/> Prof.&nbsp;[[Caroline Malone]] has said: "Given the restricted land space of Malta, it is remarkable that the second colonisation survived for 1,500&nbsp;years. This sort of settlement stability is unheard of in Europe and is impressive in terms of how they were able to live on an ever-degrading land for such a period of time."<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/>

One of the most notable periods of Malta's history is the temple period, starting around 3600&nbsp;BC. The [[Ġgantija]] Temple in Gozo is one of the oldest free-standing buildings in the world. The name of the complex stems from the Maltese word ''ġgant'', which reflects the magnitude of the temple's size. Many of the temples are in the form of five [[semicircular]] rooms connected at the centre. It has been suggested that these might have represented the head, arms, and legs of a deity, since one of the commonest kinds of statue found in these temples comprises obese human figures, popularly termed "fat ladies" despite their ambiguity of gender, and often considered to represent fertility.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

The civilization which built the temples lasted for about 1,500&nbsp;years until about 2350&nbsp;BC, at which point the culture seems to have disappeared. There is speculation about what might have happened and whether they were completely wiped out or assimilated,{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} but it is thought that the collapse occurred due to climate conditions and drought.<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/>

Prof. Malone has stated: "We can learn a lot from the mistakes made by the first Maltese. The lack of water, coupled with the destruction of soil that takes centuries to form, can cause the failure of a civilisation. The second group of inhabitants to Malta in 3850–2350&nbsp;BC managed their resources adequately and harnessed soil and food for over 1,500&nbsp;years. It was only when climate conditions and drought became so extreme that they failed."<ref name=TimesMalta-2018-03-16/>

Between 2600 and 2400 BC, half of those who died were children.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Irwin |first1=Aisling |title=Island cores unravel mysteries of ancient Maltese civilisation |url=https://phys.org/news/2019-07-island-cores-unravel-mysteries-ancient.html |work=Horizon Magazine |access-date=18 October 2024 |language=en |date=11 July 2019}}</ref>