The Phoenicians were the first people after the flood to colonise the Maltese archipelago. Being small islands, they gave these islands the names of small seeds.

The largest island was given the name of a seed, a nourishing seed of the family of the wheat and the rye. It is known as “Malta” wherever the Phoenicians occupied. In Spain it is known as Malta. In Italy as Malto, in France and England as Malt.

All other names given to Malta are a corruption by the European Latinised languages. This effect corrupting the names of Semitic origin is observed in the other names in the archipelago.

The origin of the name of Gozo is very similar to Gozo. The trouble is that the European languages do not pronounce the semitic “Gh” which is a guttural “G” like “game” pronounced through the nose. The Gozitans from Gharb still pronounce it “h” and say “Hawdex” for “Ghawdex”. The Europeans pronounce it as “G” and say “Gawdex”.

So, instead of “Ghazza” (the oat seed) they say “Ghazza” which became “Gozzo”. So from “Ghazza” (the oat seed) it became “Gozzo” or “Gozo”.

The two other islands are clear seeds. Kemmuna, (cumin seed) and Filfla, the seed of the red pepper in semitic is “Filfil”. So its small seed is known as “Filfla”.

That is the real origin of the names of the islands of the Maltese archipelago.

Joseph S. Ellul

Amateur Archaeologist

Honorary member of the

Ancient Astronaut

Society of USA

Zurrieq