|
Location:
Tarxien, Paola, Malta. |
Grid Reference:
14° 30' 05" E, 35° 50' 00" N. |
Hal Tarxien:
(Other Names).
This temple complex lies close to the famed
Hypogeum. Dated to about
3,100-2,500 BC.
(2), 5,500
BC. (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)
(Click her for
location on Malta)
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)
The
trilithon facade of the temple, now covered in concrete..
(left) A selection of stone balls, found
near the entrance, believed to have been used to 'roll' the larger stones, and
(right) the stone 'hitching point'
in front of the temple, 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 may have represented
a male figure, but the numerous other female figurines found on Malta make
this idea very unlikely indeed. The original is balanced delicately in the
museum of archaeology, Valleta.
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 the stones are now concrete, they show how the
stones were meticulously
shaped, in preparation to fit other stones..
...but those still standing are fitted together with
squared corners.
(The stones of this asp have been fire damaged, and are
deteriorating).
These stone-cut two 'offering bowls' are a
feature of several other prominent European megalithic sites such as
Newgrange and Knowth in Ireland, and Maes Howe on the Orkneys, where they
are associated with cruciform passages (The interior of the prehistoric
Maltese temples show a similar cruciform interior. They are believed to have
been originally covered over and would have functioned in the same way, as
most have been shown to have been orientated astronomically.
(Other similarities
between European Neolithic Complexes)
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. (left) Holiest of holy's, (right) 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 a metre deep.
The walls were built with an inwards curve, a feature common
at other Maltese temple complexes.
Some of
the stones appear to have been similarly carved in preparation to receive
other stones..
The site is littered with objects of lost
significance.
(Other Maltese sites)
|
