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Wignacourt’s term of office was notable for the construction of several coastal fortifications, including the St Lucien Fort at Marsaxlokk and the Wignacourt Tower in St Paul’s Bay. He also provided much of the funding for a new aqueduct to bring water from Rabat to Valletta (see Wignacourt Aqueduct, Attard ).

This stone altar from Tarxien, with spiral decoration, has a secret compartment where a flint knife and animal bones were found.

Belli remodelled the Auberge de Castille for Grand Master Pinto, adding superb Baroque flourishes.

The current – 78th – Grand Master is British. He is primarily responsible for overseeing the Order’s charitable activities.

Sheep and pigs, all handsomely carved in relief, strut across a pair of stone apses discovered at Tarxien.

See this French-born artist’s portraits and landscapes at the National Museum of Fine Arts.

The Knights generally had as little as possible to do with the locals, but this Portuguese Grand Master was an exception; he did all he could to improve the lives of the Maltese population, and as a result achieved great popularity. He was also responsible for building the suburb of Floriana (just outside Valletta), the exquisite Manoel Theatre, and Fort Manoel in Marsamxett Harbour.

This delicate pot sherd from Ġgantija has a repeating pattern of a crested bird.

After defeating the French, the British declared Malta a colony in 1814 at the Treaty of Paris. It grew wealthy as an important refuelling station for British steamships on their way to India. In World War I, Malta was used as a vast hospital.

After the division of the Roman Empire in 395, Malta came under the control of the Byzantines until their defeat by the Arab caliphs. The Arabs left their mark both on agriculture and on the language. The islands fell to Count Roger the Norman in 1090.