Għar Dalam (; "Cave of Dalam", Dalam being a fifteenth-century family name) is a 144-metre long phreatic tube and cave, located in the outskirts of Birżebbuġa, Malta. The cave contains the bones of animals that lived on Malta during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. It has lent its name to the early Neolithic-aged Għar Dalam phase in Maltese prehistory, and is viewed as one of Malta's most important national monuments. Pottery similar to that found in Stentinello was found at Għar Dalam, but lacking details such as stamp decorations.

Dwarf elephant, hippopotamus, giant swan, deer and bear bone deposits found there are of different ages. The deer species became extinct much later, about 4,000 years ago during the Chalcolithic.J.D. Evans The Prehistoric Antiquities of the Maltese Islands p. 241 Until 2025, Għar Dalam was thought to have the earliest evidence of human settlement on Malta, some 7,400 years ago.

Recent history

The cave was first investigated for its Neolithic remains in 1865, with excavations by Italian palaeontologist Arturo Issel. An excavation was carried out in 1892 by John H. Cooke. The bulk of this material was stored in Malta, while a comparative collection was sent to the British Museum. This material was studied by Forsyth Major in 1902, who isolated a new dwarf species of dwarf hippopotamus, Hippopotamus melitensis, based on these findings.

The cave was included on the Antiquities List of 1925, but was not opened to the public until March 1933. A museum was set up on site by the then-Curator of Natural History, Joseph Baldacchino. Within a year of his appointment as curator in 1935, Baldacchino published a booklet on Għar Dalam, highlighting the main excavations and investigations of the cave. The museum was slowly upgraded, new specimens replacing the old, and a labelling system set in place.

The showcases around the walls of the Għar Dalam museum house the skeletal remains found in the cave. These are organised by species and type. The showcases in the centre of the museum's room contain complete skeletons of modern examples of deer, elephant and other species. These were not found in the cave, but imported as reference specimens for the use of scholars working on the fossil examples.

It was used as an air-raid shelter during World War II. In 1980, the most important and irreplaceable relics—such as four tusks of dwarf elephants and the skull of a Neolithic child—were stolen from the museum.

The cave is some deep but only the first are accessible to visitors. The museum, which still exhibits a remarkable wealth of finds from animal bones to human artifacts, is the entrance to the whole area.

Għar Dalam Cave and Museum is operated by Heritage Malta. In 2019, a project was announced to improve the physical accessibility between Għar Dalam, Ta’ Kaċċatura, Borġ in-Nadur, and other sites which are in close proximity to one another.

Stratigraphy

The cave consists of a number of sequential layers, which have been dated using radiometric techniques.D'Souza, L. C. An endemic radiation of deer in the Late Pleistocene of Malta 1 Oct 2019 PhD Thesis, University of Bristol pp. 21-27 30, 33, 38-39, 294, 299-305 +Layer number Layer namesAgeDescriptionFaunal remainsNotesIIUpper domestic animals/pottery layer cave earth layerHolocene (2,700 years ago-recent)"dark red clay"Domestic animals (cow, sheep, goat, pig, cat), equine (Equus sp.), possible deer (?Cervus sp) black rat, house mouse, rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) shrew (Crocidura russula), wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), tortoise (Testudo sp.) lizard (Chalcides ocellatus) frogs and toads (Discoglossus pictus, Bufo viridis)Also contains pottery, and other human artifacts, as well as human remainsIIILower domestic animals/pottery layer small stones/pebbles layerHolocene (around 7,200 - 2,700 years ago)"dark grey earth, sub-angular stones and pebbles"IVUpper Red Earth (Cervus stage)Late Pleistocene (after 116,300/103,800 years ago for onset of deposition, before 80,100 years ago for onset of deposition of sublayer IVc, and between 80,100 and 23-20,000 years ago for deposition of sublayer IVb)"deep vegetable soil with alternating brown-red and white layers. 5+ divisions by stalagmitic plates/torba floors"Deer (likely 3 endemic species of Cervus) bovine (Bos sp.) equine (Equus sp.) vole (Pitymys melitensis) shrew (Crocidura sp.), bats, turtle (Emys orbicularis), toad (Bufo bufo), birdsRemains much less mineralised and worn than those of the breccia/Hippopotamus layer.VLower Red Earth (Carnivora Stage)late Middle Pleistocene (167,300 to 151,200 years ago)Dwarf elephant (Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis and/or Palaeoloxodon spV.L. Herridge Dwarf Elephants on Mediterranean Islands: A Natural Experiment in Parallel Evolution. PhD Thesis, Vol 1. p. 135 University College London (2010)) Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus pentlandi) deer (Cervus cf. elaphus and Cervus cf. barbarus) red fox (Vulpes vulpes), wolf (Canis lupus), brown bear (Ursus cf. arctos), vole (Pitymys melitensis), shrew (Crocidura sp.) bats, turtle (Emys orbicularis), toad (Bufo bufo), birdsVIPebble layerMiddle Pleistocene (prior to 165,900 years ago)"rolled pebbles in red clay"NoneVIIBone breccia layer Hippopotamus layerMiddle Pleistocene (prior to 165,900 years ago)"light green to brown clay, consolidated to breccia in outer regions"Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus pentlandi, Hippopotamus melitensis) Dwarf elephant (Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis and/orPalaeoloxodon sp), deer (Cervus cf. elaphus) possible equine (Equus sp?) shrew (cf. Crocidura russula) dormice (Maltamys/Eliomys) bats, birds including Cygnus falconeriBones strongly mineralised and dark in colour and heavily water worn/rolled, so that they resemble pebbles.VIIIDetritral Clay layer Sterile layerEarly-Middle Pleistocene (prior to 167,000 years ago)"plastic laminated clay, yellowish blue colour"None

Notes

[A]. Buhagiar (2007) notes that the name Għar Dalam does not mean the 'Cave of Darkness', as would be the case in Arabic, but the 'Cave of Dalam,' or 'of the Dalam family.' The surname Dalam is attested in 15th century records.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Description of cave Għar Dalam Cave and Museum - Visit Malta