In around the mid-sixth century BC, the Maltese islands along with most other Phoenician colonies in the Western Mediterranean came under the administration of Carthage. This City State on the North African coast was originally another Phoenician colony which eventually dominated the rest.
In the meantime, the Greeks emulated the Phoenicians by expanding their own trading posts and founding settlements all across the Mediterranean. The resulting rivalry and Hellenistic expansion in Southern Italy and Sicily soon led to conflict as the first of many wars broke out between the Carthaginians and the Greeks in Sicily in 580 BC.

 There is not enough evidence to determine whether Malta was contested militarily, however by the end of Carthaginian rule in 218 BC, local culture was clearly imbued with a strong Hellenistic influence. Some scholars have suggested that this may have occurred due to a steady influx of  refugees trickling down from Sicily to Malta as a result of the Greco-Punic wars fought there over a period of three centuries. 

Traces of Egyptian culture during Punic rule are even scarcer. Most of the finds associated with this culture were eventually determined to being copies made by the Phoenicians or that got here through trade.

The Angevins were defeated less than 20 years later by the Aragonese, after revolts known as the Sicilian Vespers led to war which included a major naval battle just outside Malta's Grand Harbour in 1283. King Peter III 'the Great' of Aragon was the husband of Manfred's (Hohenstaufen) daughter, avenging his death by victory over the Angevins resulting in their complete expulsion from Sicily. 
The Aragonese established control of the islands, leading to a long span of Spanish authority, following the eventual unification of other Hispanic Houses such as Castille and Leon.

The decades following Malta's independence witnessed a collective struggle to strengthen Maltese industry and society. Much progress was achieved and Malta joined the European Union in May, 2004. The Maltese people are well known for their hospitality and the Islands remain a popular tourist destination in the Mediterranean.