Hunter-gatherer sea voyages extended to remotest Mediterranean islands

Eleanor M. L. Scerri (), James Blinkhorn (), Huw S. Groucutt, Mathew Stewart, Ian Candy, Ethel Allué, Aitor Burguet-Coca, Andrés Currás, W. Christopher Carleton, Susanne Lindauer, Robert Spengler, Kseniia Boxleitner, Gillian Asciak, Margherita Colucci, Ritienne Gauci, Amy Hatton, Johanna Kutowsky, Andreas Maier, Mario Mata-González, Nicolette Mifsud, Khady Niang, Patrick Roberts, Joshua Giorgio, Rochelle Xerri and Nicholas C. Vella ()
Additional contact information
Eleanor M. L. Scerri: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
James Blinkhorn: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Huw S. Groucutt: University of Malta
Mathew Stewart: Griffith University
Ian Candy: Royal Holloway University of London
Ethel Allué: Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA)
Aitor Burguet-Coca: Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA)
Andrés Currás: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
W. Christopher Carleton: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Susanne Lindauer: Curt-Engelhorn-Centre Archaeometry
Robert Spengler: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Kseniia Boxleitner: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Gillian Asciak: Superintendence of Cultural Heritage
Margherita Colucci: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Ritienne Gauci: University of Malta
Amy Hatton: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Johanna Kutowsky: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Andreas Maier: University of Cologne
Mario Mata-González: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Nicolette Mifsud: University of Malta
Khady Niang: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Patrick Roberts: Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology
Joshua Giorgio: University of York
Rochelle Xerri: Heritage Malta
Nicholas C. Vella: University of Malta

Nature, 2025, vol. 641, issue 8061, 137-143

Abstract: Abstract 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)1. 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 journeys2–4. 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.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08780-y

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