Antient side of Malta

[Dneprovoy Alexey]

Malta's an amazing place, that combines modern life pace with untouched haze of historical romance. Here you can find some interesing short videos http://tours-tv.com/en/malta and below are some significant facts about Malta and Maltese culture.

Borg in-Nadur

The megalithic site, close to the sea at Birzebbuga, was excavated by Dr Margaret Murray in 1922-7. The depth of the deposits was very shallow and the Temple Period remains were covered by material from the Bronze Age village which lay over the same area. The temple was built during the last phase of the temple period, around 2500 BCE and was occupied by the Bronze Age people. Most probably its rooms became part of the Bronze Age village. The megaliths forming the walls of the temple are now only about 50 cm (1.6 feet) high and a four apse plan can be seen at the centre. Another small megalithic structure lies East-South of the main building.

 

 

Clapham Junction' Cart Ruts

One of the most complicated networks of global ancient cart-ruts is found at "Misrah Ghar, il-Kbir"' limits of Rabat. The site was nicknamed as "Clapham Junction" by David Trump after the complex railway tracks of a London station. The cart-ruts seem to be present everywhere and run in all different directions, covering an area of about 8 hectares or more. The cart-ruts at "Misrah Ghar il-Kbir" are believed to be related to a vast quarrying industry that functioned during the ancient periods.

 

Ggantija Temples

Ggantija is a megalithic temple complex on Gozo. The two temples of Ggantija on the island of Gozo are notable for their gigantic Neolithic structures, which were erected during the Neolithic Age (c. 3600-2500 BC). At more than 5500 years old, the Ggantija temples are the world's oldest free-standing structures, and the world's oldest religious structures, pre-dating the Pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge. The temples were possibly the site of an Earth Mother Goddess Fertility Cult, with numerous figurines and statues found on site believed to be connected with that cult. Built with rough, coralline limestone blocks, each temple contains five apses connected by a central corridor leading to the innermost trefoil section.

 

Ghar Dalam Cave

The earliest evidence for human settlement in Malta was found in the Ghar Dalam Cave, which contains remains of a Neolithic settlement which appears to be related to the Stentinello culture in Italy (late 5th, early 4th millennia BC). "Ghar Dalam" means "Cave of Darkness," more or less. Excavations carried out between 1933 and 1937, yielded an enormous quantity of animal bone deposits from the lower strata of the cave's subsoil. These remains belonged to prehistoric elephants, hippopotami, deer and other animals which roamed all over Europe a quarter of a million years ago. The deposits confirm that at that distant age, the Maltese Islands formed part of the European mainland.

 

Hagar Qim Temple

Hagar Qim, discovered under rubble in 1839, dates from around 2400 - 2000 B.C. The largest megalith at Hagar Qim is some seven metres high and weights around 20 tons. Hagar Qim was excavated at the beginning of the nineteenth century and has produced many 'fat figure' statuettes including the naturalistic 'Venus of Malta'. On the outer side of the north flank of Hagar Qim a open-air shrine has been inserted into the wall, whose facade combines the suggestive symbols of the male and female generative organs. There is also the unique four-sided altar. Various facades of the temple have been interpreted as symbolically depicting male and female reproductive organs. Construction employs corbelling or oversailing of the walls in order to narrow the span of the roof.

 

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum

Perhaps originally a sanctuary, the Hypogeum, became a necropolis in prehistoric times. It appears that the site was first in use around 3600 BC when some natural cavities were used as a repository for the bones of the dead. As the cavities filled up, new chambers were cut progressively deeper into the rock. Parts of the cavern system were skillfully carved in a clear imitation of the temple architecture built above ground. It has been calculated that around 7,000 persons were buried there, century after century. The Hypogeum consists of halls, chambers and passages hewn out of the living rock and covering some 500m². The rock-cut chambers are of a diverse shapes and sizes and finished to different standards of workmanship. The complex is grouped in three levels the upper level (3600-3300 BC), the middle level (3300-3000 BC), and the lower level (3000-2400 BC). The deepest room in the lower level is 10.6 meters under road surface.

 

Mnajdra Temples

The Mnajdra temple complex is situated lose to the sea in a little valley below the hill on which the temple of Hagar Qim stands and dates from around 3600 - 2500BC. The proximity of the two temple sites makes for a very convenient combined visit. The Mnajdra Temples are surrounded by rocky countryside with no modern buildings nearby, there are also wide views out to sea and the small islet of Filfla is visible, almost on the horizon. The open setting of these temples promotes a much better atmosphere than that at the closely walled-in sites at Tarxien and Kordin. The remains of three temples have been discovered at the Mnajdra complex, two large buildings with two pairs of apses and a much smaller building with a trefoil layout.

 

Skorba Temples

Skorba Temples, located about a kilometre away from Ta Hagrat, were excavated by David Trump in the 1960s. This excavation resulted in the discovery of two temples, dating to the Ggantija (3,600-3,200 BCE) and the Tarxien (3,150-2,500 BCE) phases. Skorba was occupied long before the temples were built. The earliest remains consist of a stretch of wall dating back to the Ghar Dalam phase (5,000-4,300 BCE). Remains of wheat, lentil and barley seeds together with pottery, animal bone and stone tools were found next to this wall. A more extensive structure was unearthed in the field east of the Tarxien phase temple. This consists of the stone foundations of two huts dating back to the Red Skorba phase (4,400-4,100 BCE). The discovery within these structures of a number of female figurines and goat skulls, led the excavator to suggest that these structures may have been used as some sort of shrine.

 

Ta' Hagrat Temples

Ta Hagrat consists of two adjacent temples, the older one of which dates to the Ggantija phase (3,600-3,200 BCE). These were excavated under the direction of Sir Temi Zammit in the 1920s, after he was shown a field containing an interesting mound of stones. The older temple has a semi-circular façade with a monumental doorway. This leads into a rectangular central court that in turn leads to three semi-circular rooms, one on each side. The second, smaller building is accessed through the eastern room of the larger building, which was modified in antiquity to make space for the second building. One of the most notable finds from this excavation is a small limestone model of a roofed building which is now exhibited at the National Museum of Archaeology.

Tal-Mintna Catacombs

Tal-Mintna Catacombs were discovered in 1860 by Dr. A Caruana and Captain Strickland. The complex was a number of detached underground sets of burial chambers grouped collectively next to each other. Originally separate, these three separate catacombs are now connected to form one larger complex. Like similar small clusters found in the vicinity, the interior is made up of small galleries and tombs carved out on both sides of the passageways. The ritual table known as the "triclinium" table dominates the complex. The burial chambers are richly decorated and carved scallop-shells can be seen on a number of window tombs many times accompanied by decorated pilasters flanking the entrance of each tomb. Eight triangular recesses for oil lamps are pierced in the wall opposite the agape table.

 

Tarxien Temples

The temple complex that gives its name to the final phase of the Temple Period is Tarxien, located a few 100 metres from the Hypogeum. Made up of 4 distinct units, Tarxien housed the richest deposit of prehistoric art objects. Tarxiens first unit was constructed in the Ggantija phase [c. 3600-3000 BC] with a characteristic five-apsed plan. It is physically separate to the 3 other units, which are united by an outer wall. The final unit was constructed in between the 2nd and 3rd units, which then created an elaborate temple plan consisting of three pairs of apses symmetrically disposed along the long axis leading the visitor from the entrance to the South Temples inner niche with its elaborately carved spirals the innermost part of Tarxien. Structures in Tarxien demonstrate not only great precision in construction, but also the principles of the vertical arch and the domed ceiling.

St Paul and St Agatha's Catacombs

The martyr St Agatha is said to have hidden in these catacombs during the persecution of the Christians by the Roman Emperor Decius in 249 A.D. The catacombs are especially important for their remarkable medieval frescoes, some dating from the 12th century. A characteristic feature of Maltese catacombs are the `agape tables' hewn out of the rock. Here, mourners would hold a `wake' - probably a farewell meal - in honour of the deceased. The catacombs, which belong to the Church, are situated in lovely surroundings, among trees and shrubs. The small museum at the entrance displays a varied and interesting collection ranging from coins to Roman, Etruscan and Egyptian artefacts.