Ancient in History, Youthful in Identity...
The most valuable history for
a specific region, is that of its "prehistory", early settlers and
conquests upon the land is what truly makes up its identity. Malta; a
nation-state, country, an island... right? Most people have heard of the
country Malta, but most of the country's core history and belonging is not
solidified in the average understanding (Abela, 11). The reason for such
vagueness surrounding this culture is because of how recent Malta's approach to
the European Union is, as well as any sort establishment of national identity
rooted in ancient history. Approaching this examination of the Maltese
national identity, it is therefore important to primarily analyze its
historical elements. The Maltese government website (gov.mt) will be the first
to boast the incredibly ancient nature of the country; the text alludes to
Malta's deserved respect, through a sort of aged tenure or seniority. Today,
the ancient culture present Malta’s history provides a sense of unity among the
Mediterranean descendents of such cultures. Ethnic groups existing on the
island from surrounding countries, are a threat to Malta’s national identity;
individuals who do not speak Maltese, a language founded on a nearly
prehistoric history. This ancient culture that once inhabited Malta, remains a
key characteristic when defining this country's identity.
Below are aerial photographs of the temples of
Mnajdra (1) and Ggantija (2), as well as a map highlighting the reach of
Arab-Byzantine rule (3). Courtesy of UNESCO and History Cooperative.
(1)
(2) 
(3)
(3)
With the Romans taking
control in 217 AD, the Maltese acquired their most prominent religion (even in
the contemporary era) of Roman Catholicism—Although the Romans in the early AD
era were not yet Christian, their otherwise early adoption of Catholicism would
rapidly spread to Malta (Baldacchino, 2). To this day, Malta identifies with
the widespread Mediterranean culture that exists throughout its many
surrounding countries. Throughout the second millennium, Malta was repopulated
by Arab-Sicilians (at this time, Arab-Sicily was in existence around 800 AD)
who spoke Siculo-Arabic; the language now commonly known as simply
"Maltese".
Any population that resides
in Malta (or any neighboring countries) that doesn't identify with a background
of mentioned (Sicilian) Arab-Semitic culture, would be perceived as an
"Other" people group. No matter how ancient these roots may be.
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