Archaeology: What's Hot Now: Malta Temples

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Malta Temples Nov 20th 2011, 10:02 The Malta Temples are ancient stone structures located on Gozo and Malta, two tiny islands in the Mediterranean Sea off the south coast of Sicily. The temples are among the oldest temples in the world, the earliest of which have their initial construction phase over six thousand years ago. In all, there are about 30 temples on Malta and Gozo, and there may have been more. They are low, sprawling stone structures with between five and 20 rooms; and each temple is enclosed within a massive retaining wall and an exterior forecourt for public assembly. Main Temples on Malta: Tarxien (the largest and most elaborate), Skorba, Mnajdra, Hagar Qim, Ta' Hagrat, Kordin, Bugibba, Xrobb I-Ghagin Main Temples on Gozo: Ggantija (the largest and most elaborate on Gozo) Xewkija, and Ta' Marziena Other important structures: Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (below-ground cavern used for burials, on Malta), Broctorff a.k.a. Xhagra Circle (stone circle, on Gozo) Unlike what people normally think of as temples, the Malta temples are entirely curvilinear, consisting of a series of lobed spaces or apses. The earliest temples were simple, made of two or three oval rooms; they were not unlike other small ritual centers built throughout Sicily, Italy and the central Mediterranean at about the same time. But the completed temples (after a thousand years of reuse and rebuild) are massive and sprawling, with an external open space (for public gatherings?), leading to an internal courtyard and then leading from the courtyard into the private apses, the oldest parts of the temples newly refurbished. The doorways into the temples are for the most part monumental. Archaeologists think the massive doorways were boundaries marking the interior (private) and exterior (public) parts of the temples. This separation is also marked by raised thresholds and stone paved floors, elaborate screens built to hide the interior from the exterior, and sculptured surfaces, patterns of drilled holes or spiral motifs. Temple Exteriors In general the outer walls of the temples form a semi-circular forecourt to the south, sometimes paved with crushed limestone paste. The outer walls are massive, built of enormous limestone blocks. In some cases, the walls are of two layers of limestone blocks filled with a rubble core. Some temples have squared-off limestone entry-ways. Many of the entry ways point to the southeast, perhaps meeting the rising sun. Some astronomical alignments have been suggested; more about that later. Sources See the Malta Temples bibliography for more information.

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