Ancient Maltese seafarers likely navigated by the stars
Malta might be the last place one would expect a convergence of archeoastronomy and early cosmology. Today, it's better known as a billionaire tax haven and a favorite production location for big-budget Hollywood movies.
Ancient Maltese seafarers likely navigated by the stars, based on archaeological evidence found on the island. This ancient culture, which migrated from Sicily around 5,000 years ago, constructed numerous megalithic structures, including temples, that appear to be astronomically aligned. The island's remote location, 97 kilometers from Sicily, would have required celestial navigation, as there were no modern tools like compasses or GPS.
The alignment of the temple at Tarxien with Crux, the Southern Cross constellation, suggests that these Neolithic people had a rudimentary understanding of spacetime and used it in their daily lives, including navigation. The presence of volcanic obsidian from Pantelleria on Malta further supports the theory that these early seafarers used the stars to navigate between islands.
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