The prehistoric cave of Għar Dalam

Abstract

The islands of Malta and Gozo are dotted with ancient monuments that bear witness to their being inhabited by various Mediterranean and European people. These usually regarded the islands as an important haven and a stepping stone when crossing the difficult expanse of water that fills this almost totally enclosed basin. Yet long before man had ventured on such navigation, Malta and Gozo had already been serving as a place of refuge for herds of animals that used to roam across Europe to which these islands had been connected. Although such fauna is no longer to be found in these latitudes, proof of their existence is now and then brought to light in the form of fossil remains from natural fissures or caves that are common in the Maltese rocks. Without doubt the most famous of these is Għar Dalam, the so called Cave of Darkness (although dulam could be the Arabic word for elephant), situated in a valley on the outskirts of Birzebbugia.