The years between 5500 and 3500BC have been described as the Mediterranean's "forgotten age". But in fact that was the Age of Enlightenment that saw the start of seettlement and village life, of civilisation in Europe and, coincidentally, experienced the first known steps of Man on the Maltese archipelago - which culminated in the building of one of the archaeological wonders of the world on Gozo: the site we call Ġgantija (the first free-standing stone building on earth).