Almost 2,000 people took advantage of the open days at Għar Dalam and Borġ in-Nadur, two prehistoric sites in Birżebbuġa, last weekend.

The relevance of Għar Dalam as a prehistoric site was discovered in the latter half of the 19th century with a series of excavations that unearthed animal bones, human remains and artefacts.

The cave is a highly important site for its palaeontology, archaeology and ecology.

The history of the cave and that of the islands can be decoded from Għar Dalam’s stratigraphy. The lowermost layers, more than 500,000 years old, contained the fossilised bones of dwarf elephants, hippopotamuses, micro-mammals and birds, among others.

This is topped by a pebble layer, and on top of that there is the so-called ‘deer’ layer, dated to around 18,000 years ago.

The top layer, or ‘cultural layer’, dates less than 10,000 years and holds evidence of the first humans on the islands. It was here that the earliest evidence of human settlement on Malta, some 7,400 years ago, was discovered.

Excavated in the 1920s by archaeologist Margaret Murray, Borġ in-Nadur yielded information which helped historians understand Malta’s prehistory.

The Borġ in-Nadur prehistoric site, which was in use during both the Temple Period (3,600-2,500 BC) and the Bronze Age (2,400-700 BC), boasts a unique location situated between two valleys with the sea before it.

Excavated in the 1920s by archaeologist Margaret Murray, the site yielded information which helped historians understand the facets of Maltese prehistory which had remained problematic, such as the differences between the Temple Period and the Bronze Age.

The remains and the items that were retrieved during the excavations are to this day being analysed by researchers, using techniques unavailable to the archaeologists of decades past.

The four-apsed ‘temple’ found within the site is fronted by a large enclosed area, which is unique for such buildings.

Borġ in-Nadur used to be open only by appointment, but as from this month, the temple site is open permanently.

The site is now open to the public from Monday to Sunday throughout the year, except on Good Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Tickets can be purchased from all Heritage Malta museums and sites, the closest one to Borġ in-Nadur being Għar Dalam.

Għar Dalam’s lowest layers, more than 500,000 years old, contained the fossilised bones of diverse species.