Daily life in the Neolithic

The megalithic monuments created by the inhabitants of Malta and Gozo during the Neolithic are well known. Less is known about the daily life of the people. Monuments and mass burials suggest a strong sense of community. The modest huts that people lived in were located around the megalithic buildings that were the focus of the community.

The annual cycle brought a never-ending succession of tasks which were probably shared between males and females. Crops needed to be sown, tended, harvested and stored, and animals needed to be reared, herded and slaughtered. Other tasks included child-rearing, cooking and pottery-making. The archaeological record has provided us with a rich repertoire of cooking vessels and associated tools.