Because of the similarities in the designs on pottery ware, archaeologists believe that the first inhabitants of the islands must have come from Sicily. The prehistory of the Maltese islands started round about 4000 BC, but it is from the period classified as the Copper Age that we have the richest and most spectacular heritage of the local prehistoric era.

During that phase we witness the development of the Temple Culture, a name which was coined as a result of the substantial number of impressive megalithic temples erected in honour of a deity referred to as the Fat Lady.

Statuettes of this fertility goddess, in whose forms the temples were probably constructed, were also found throughout countries in the Mediterranean region.

The marvellous artistry and stone-masonry with which these temples were built bear witness to the devotion which the early Maltese had to their protective Goddess.

The huge upright rocks (weighing tons!) which constitute the Ggantija temples in Gozo together with the minute carving on the decorative slabs at Tarxien and Hagar Qim reflect the dedication with which these prehistoric ancestors adorned their places of worship.

Yet the Hypogeum in Paola remains the most astonishing site of the temple builders.