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Location:
Tarxien, Paola, Malta
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Grid Reference:
(14° 30' 05" E, 35° 50' 00" N)
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Description
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This temple complex lies close to the famed
Hypogeum. Dated to
about 3,100-2,500 BC. (2), (5,500 BC. Ref:1).
Several rooms have been excavated from a site
that covers several acres. Inside the monumental main entrance (which is a
modern reconstruction) of the temple, is the lower portion of a 'fertility
goddess'. The South face of the temple houses a spring-fed cistern. The
central temple contains relief carvings of bulls and running spirals. When
first excavated, the interior of these temples was noted to have been
'reddened by fire' (1).
(Click
here for map of the site)
(Scroll down for more)..
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Hal Tarxien.
Description: This temple lies only several hundreds of yards from the
Hal-Saflieni
Hypogeum, leading many to consider it the 'pair'
to the underground temple. While other temples on the islands were certainly
built with more grandiose stones, the wide variety of features and uses for
stone seen at Hal-Tarxien cannot be matched anywhere else.
There are four distinct
temple units at Tarxien. The oldest one, smaller of size an separated from
the others, was built in the Ggantija phase and has the typical five-asped
plan, just like Ggantija temple itself. The other three are joined together
by a common outer wall. The middle temple was the last one to be erected and
was wedged between the other two, spoiling the symmetry of the complex
itself. (Click here for a view of the
original facade)
From left to right: A selection of stone
balls, found near the entrance, believed to have been used to 'roll' the
larger stones, the grand trilithon entrance and
the stone 'hitching post'
in front, a feature common to all the temples across Malta.
The reconstructed lower portions of the figure found on the inside right of
the entrance.
This is THE earth-mother-earth figure. The full-size model
would have stood over 3m high. It has been suggested that it in-fact represented
a male figure, but the numerous other female figurines found on Malta make
this idea very unlikely indeed.
A plethora of sophisticated construction skills
(Note the pillars in the right hand photo have engravings
of ships on them)
Familiar door-cut stones separate several of the chambers.
The tops of many stones appear to have been meticulously
shaped, as if to fit other particular stones..
...but those still standing are fitted together with
squared corners.
(These stones have been fire damaged).
The
spiral was not present in the commonly known
European form. However, these numerous floral examples were similar to later Celtic
and Norse styles.
This spiral
(?) on the wall of the earth-mother
chamber, although less well preserved, follows the
traditional 'megalithic' design.
This site
is loaded with
terrific stone features. (Stairs to where?)
And abounds
with
holes-in-stones. (and
even some stones in a hole)
Several exquisite 3-dimensional animal engravings
This stone (left) shows a vague similarity to the
one found at
Hagar Qim (Photo right).
The paving stones that compose the floor are around 1.5m deep.
The walls were built with an inwards curve.
The site is littered with objects with lost
significance.
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(Other Maltese sites)
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