It is impossible to run out of superlatives when it comes to the Maltese islands' prehistoric heritage, the importance and uniqueness of which, in relation to our European and North African counterparts, is quite disproportionate to the country's size.
Everyone will tell you that Malta, or rather Gozo, boasts the oldest free-standing temples in the world but outside academic circles, it is perhaps less generally understood exactly how singular and monumental these structures were when they were originally built, and still are today.
In his meticulously researched book, Bernard A. Vassallo lists some breathtaking facts: Malta's oldest buildings pre-date most megaliths in Britain and France and in terms of layout and design stand out as completely unparalleled anywhere in the Mediterranean, Europe and North Africa. It seems 6,000 years ago the islanders of the Temple Period were already at the cutting edge of architectural design, establishing new concepts and ideas.
Also, while we are all generally familiar with the main prehistoric temple sites of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Ggantija and the Hypogeum at Hal Saflieni, not many are aware of the staggering number of megalithic sites that have been mapped so far. According to Mr Vassallo, these amount to as many as 81 on Malta alone and a further 22 on Gozo with two more locations bearing Bronze Age evidence on Comino. And that's not counting the untold number of sites that have been lost to modern development or the ravages of time.
Earlier this year, Heritage Malta embarked on an ambitious conservation project to protect the temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra from the elements and from any further tragic bouts of criminal ignorance. Yet knowledge is also key to ensuring Malta's megalithic heritage is preserved for posterity not just for Malta but for the world.
For those interested in this subject there is no shortage of literature about the islands' prehistoric sites but even the most attractively dressed books tend to have a somewhat restricted and specialist audience. This need not be the case. Every home library should include at least one title about Malta's megalithic past and Mr Vassallo's latest book could be a good start.
Launched at this year's Book Fair, Mr Vassallo's book puts the unique Maltese temples and megalithic structures in context, fitting them into the historical and geographical jigsaw puzzle of Europe and North Africa. He takes a bird's eye view of the European continent from Iceland all the way down to the Mediterranean and beyond to the shores of North Africa on a whirlwind tour of the megalithic culture that prevailed thousands of years ago. Mr Vassallo lists details of every megalithic site on the Maltese islands, making the book a convenient reference for history buffs and students alike.
After trawling through all the data, Mr Vassallo concludes that the temples on the Maltese islands outshine all other megalithic structures in neighbouring countries as "indigenous phenomena, structurally independent of developments elsewhere."
"Their singularity is one of their chief characteristics," writes the author, "and this warrants extra efforts for their preservation, since their loss would be not only Malta's and Gozo's, but also for the world's heritage."
It also warrants an extra effort to learn more about this ancient and mysterious megalithic culture, to keep our prehistoric heritage alive. As my son's godparents wrote to him on his Christening day, "Know your past to chart your future".
• Ms Bishop lives in Switzerland with her husband, baby son, too many books and not enough bookshelves.
• A review copy of this title was supplied by Allied Publications.
Everyone will tell you that Malta, or rather Gozo, boasts the oldest free-standing temples in the world but outside academic circles, it is perhaps less generally understood exactly how singular and monumental these structures were when they were originally built, and still are today.
In his meticulously researched book, Bernard A. Vassallo lists some breathtaking facts: Malta's oldest buildings pre-date most megaliths in Britain and France and in terms of layout and design stand out as completely unparalleled anywhere in the Mediterranean, Europe and North Africa. It seems 6,000 years ago the islanders of the Temple Period were already at the cutting edge of architectural design, establishing new concepts and ideas.
Also, while we are all generally familiar with the main prehistoric temple sites of Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Ggantija and the Hypogeum at Hal Saflieni, not many are aware of the staggering number of megalithic sites that have been mapped so far. According to Mr Vassallo, these amount to as many as 81 on Malta alone and a further 22 on Gozo with two more locations bearing Bronze Age evidence on Comino. And that's not counting the untold number of sites that have been lost to modern development or the ravages of time.
Earlier this year, Heritage Malta embarked on an ambitious conservation project to protect the temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra from the elements and from any further tragic bouts of criminal ignorance. Yet knowledge is also key to ensuring Malta's megalithic heritage is preserved for posterity not just for Malta but for the world.
For those interested in this subject there is no shortage of literature about the islands' prehistoric sites but even the most attractively dressed books tend to have a somewhat restricted and specialist audience. This need not be the case. Every home library should include at least one title about Malta's megalithic past and Mr Vassallo's latest book could be a good start.
Launched at this year's Book Fair, Mr Vassallo's book puts the unique Maltese temples and megalithic structures in context, fitting them into the historical and geographical jigsaw puzzle of Europe and North Africa. He takes a bird's eye view of the European continent from Iceland all the way down to the Mediterranean and beyond to the shores of North Africa on a whirlwind tour of the megalithic culture that prevailed thousands of years ago. Mr Vassallo lists details of every megalithic site on the Maltese islands, making the book a convenient reference for history buffs and students alike.
After trawling through all the data, Mr Vassallo concludes that the temples on the Maltese islands outshine all other megalithic structures in neighbouring countries as "indigenous phenomena, structurally independent of developments elsewhere."
"Their singularity is one of their chief characteristics," writes the author, "and this warrants extra efforts for their preservation, since their loss would be not only Malta's and Gozo's, but also for the world's heritage."
It also warrants an extra effort to learn more about this ancient and mysterious megalithic culture, to keep our prehistoric heritage alive. As my son's godparents wrote to him on his Christening day, "Know your past to chart your future".
• Ms Bishop lives in Switzerland with her husband, baby son, too many books and not enough bookshelves.
• A review copy of this title was supplied by Allied Publications.