Scerri Eleanor M L, Blinkhorn James, Groucutt Huw S, Stewart Mathew, Candy Ian, Allué Ethel, Burguet-Coca Aitor, Currás Andrés, Carleton W Christopher, Lindauer Susanne, Spengler Robert, Boxleitner Kseniia, Asciak Gillian, Colucci Margherita, Gauci Ritienne, Hatton Amy, Kutowsky Johanna, Maier Andreas, Mata-González Mario, Mifsud Nicolette, Niang Khady, Roberts Patrick, de Giorgio Joshua, Xerri Rochelle, Vella Nicholas C
Human Palaeosystems Group, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany.
Department of Classics and Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
Nature. 2025 May;641(8061):137-143. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-08780-y. Epub 2025 Apr 9.
The Maltese archipelago is a small island chain that is among the most remote in the Mediterranean. Humans were not thought to have reached and inhabited such small and isolated islands until the regional shift to Neolithic lifeways, around 7.5 thousand years ago (ka). In the standard view, the limited resources and ecological vulnerabilities of small islands, coupled with the technological challenges of long-distance seafaring, meant that hunter-gatherers were either unable or unwilling to make these journeys. Here we describe chronological, archaeological, faunal and botanical data that support the presence of Holocene hunter-gatherers on the Maltese islands. At this time, Malta's geographical configuration and sea levels approximated those of the present day, necessitating seafaring distances of around 100 km from Sicily, the closest landmass. Occupations began at around 8.5 ka and are likely to have lasted until around 7.5 ka. These hunter-gatherers exploited land animals, but were also able to take advantage of marine resources and avifauna, helping to sustain these groups on a small island. Our discoveries document the longest yet-known hunter-gatherer sea crossings in the Mediterranean, raising the possibility of unknown, precocious connections across the wider region.
马耳他群岛是地中海中最偏远的一个小群岛。直到大约7500年前（ka）向新石器时代生活方式的区域转变之前，人们一直认为人类尚未抵达并居住在如此小且孤立的岛屿上。在传统观点中，小岛屿资源有限且生态脆弱，再加上远距离航海的技术挑战，这意味着狩猎采集者要么无法要么不愿意进行这些航行。在此，我们描述了支持全新世狩猎采集者在马耳他群岛存在的年代学、考古学、动物学和植物学数据。此时，马耳他的地理构造和海平面与现今相近，从最近的陆地西西里岛航行至此需要约100公里的距离。人类在约8500年前开始在此居住，并且可能一直持续到约7500年前。这些狩猎采集者不仅捕猎陆地动物，还能够利用海洋资源和鸟类，这有助于在这个小岛上维持这些群体的生存。我们的发现记录了地中海已知最长的狩猎采集者跨海行程，这增加了在更广泛区域存在未知的、早熟联系的可能性。
