All of Malta's megalithic temples have been opened and studied by archaeologists for a long time, but so far these buildings have raised many questions from scientists around the world. The main mystery of the Maltese temples is of origin: these structures were built long before the Egyptian pyramids - in the Bronze Age. Their ages are more than 5000 years.
It is wondered that all these structures were built without using iron tools. While each megalithic temple complex developed independently, the scale of all megaliths was so large that locals believed it was built by giant giants.
Nothing is known about the builders of these unique magnificent buildings - these people disappeared without a trace of a millennium after the temples were built. Today, thanks to recent research, scientists have come up with new hypotheses that I could possibly shed light on the mystery of megalithic temples.
First of all, it is worth saying that the construction of temples in Malta began long before the start of construction in continental Europe (the oldest known is Cairn de Barnenez, Finister, France, 4500 BC, France), which means that the Maltese megaliths are largely . prototypes for monuments of other regions. Scientists have discovered that prehistoric Maltese cultures are largely linked to Sicily, so archaeologists argue that Malta is the cult center of the Neolithic paleometal peoples of Sicily.
All of Malta's megalithic temples are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The oldest is the complex of two Jgantia temples on the island of Gozo. Both of these temples were built from coral limestone blocks. Some blocks weigh about fifty tons and reach five meters in length. Each of the temples has five abscissa (a semicircular, directional or rectangular projection of a building covered with an apse, a half dome or a closed half arch) (symmetrical shape whose center is bordered by three identical circles at the corners) ) equilateral triangle).
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| Photo: Ggantija complex |
Photo: Ggantija complex
Hajar, another great temple of Malta, stands on a hill. The decor of the temple is of great interest - the walls of the building are decorated with gods and animals carved from obsidian and silicone. Between the cliffs of the southern coast of the island of Malta, there is a complex of three temples - Mnaidra, according to the scheme that looks like a clover leaf (this trifolium). The oldest is the upper temple. It is a three-apse structure of coral limestone.
Built according to full astronomical laws, the Lower Temple attracts great attention for scientists. So, according to the plan of the architects on the twenty-second and twenty-March, the sun's rays pass exactly along a certain line in the temple. During the Tarshen period, the middle temple was built between the two mentioned above.
The oldest megaliths include Ta'Hajrat temples, which are built on the site of an old village and are characterized by a non-standard order. The most complex architectural complex of all temples in Malta is Tarshin, dating back to 3600-2500. B.C. to. and four megalithic structures. In the 1960s, scientists opened temples of sorrow, which also had poor protection.
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Photo: Temple complex Tarshin
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It is important to note that the change in temple periods did not lead to the destruction or abandonment of old temples, the local population continued to use them for graves with significant continuity. The most widely accepted hypotheses about the causes of the decline of Malta's megalithic temples are: climate arithization, civil war, external influence, depletion of the soil or other natural resources of Malta or Sicily.
The flowering of the culture of megalithic temples remains unclear for scientists. Therefore, there is no definitive evidence that the island was living in Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic in Malta. Neolithic seems to be out of nowhere - without preliminary stages, it includes the main achievements of the civilization of that time: ceramics, agriculture and cattle breeding. Malta's early (pre-temple) Neolithic is represented by the Ghar-Dalam cave, where the earliest Neolithic evidence dates back to 5400 BC. to.
And recently, scientists have noted a feature that sheds light on the mystery of ancient structures, where the temples are located. In particular, archaeologists have discovered a cromlech (stone ring) tomb in the center of various megalithic temples. During the study, scientists noticed that several tomb sites of the archipelago were located near the temples.
As a result, researchers were able to make a surprising discovery - all the temple complexes of the islands are subject to the same principle of the building system, where the tomb structure is located in the center and the temples are at a distance. This assumption will allow scientists to make a systematic search for new buildings that were previously hidden.
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| Photo: Hagar Quim |
In a highly developed archipelago like Malta, archaeologists still find new megaliths, although in a rather pathetic way. The fact is that many of the buildings were withdrawn for construction later on, and according to scientists, some megalithic structures are located in residential areas, and archaeologists need special research to find them.
It must also be said that scientists have recently come to an interesting conclusion. According to experts, the megalithic structures of Malta served as prototypes of the mythological Champs Elysees, where, according to the ideas of the ancient Greeks, the souls of heroes loved by the gods lived after death. This kingdom of the dead, largely similar to the corn fields of Ialu, was located on an island in the west of Greece.
Scientists say that Europeans can enter Malta after 3000 BC. to. combustion cases, because combustion is often one of the most reliable indicators of their appearance in Europe. In particular, urn cremations in cysts and dolmens, which are characteristic of the next phase - the Tarschien necropolis - show the penetration of the Castelluccio synthetic culture, which includes both megalithic (cysts, dolmens), and Indo-European (cremation) and Balkan-Danube (urns) elements to Malta. .
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| Photo: Cromlech Xaghra |
Experts found that in the Bronze - Early Iron Age, Malta experienced various waves of migration, and as a result, continuity with megalithic peoples disappeared. Probably with these migrations, contacts were established with the whole Mediterranean, especially Egypt. Evidence of the Cretan population entering Malta can also be found in ancient sources mentioned in the west of the conquests of Minos.
Thus, today, thanks to the work of archaeologists, scientists can gradually approach the answer to the question of who and for what purpose the mysterious megalithic structures of Malta are built.
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