An engraving from 1787 of Hagar Qim:
Even after visiting the Hal Saflieni and Tarxien Temples outside of Valletta, I still found it amazing that Malta's Megalithic Temples are the oldest free-standing stone monuments in the world! The 18th-century theory that these buildings were constructed by the Phoenicians because they had the technology lasted until the beginning of the 20th century. With radiocarbon dating technology being enhanced in the 1960s, the beginning of these temples was placed around 3600 BC. Although there are older stone structures, such as Gobekli Tepe in Turkey, the Maltese Temples remain the oldest buildings of such complexity and sophistication.
It was mindboggling to learn that the Neolithic inhabitants of the Maltese Islands not only had contact with but maintained a relationship with the world beyond their shores. They imported a range of materials and objects. For example, miniature polished stone axes found in Malta were made of rock from sources in Sicily, Calabria, and northern Italy. Flint from Sicily was used for larger tools that required a sturdy and sharp edge. The red ochre pigment used to decorate walls, pottery, and sculptures, and during burial rituals likely came from Sicily, too. White, translucent alabaster was also likewise imported from Sicily.
The Maltese Islands' meager resources were exploited by the Neolithic inhabitants. The only abundant material was sedimentary limestone, which was used to build megalithic monuments. Hagar Qim was built entirely of soft Globigerina limestone. A layer of clay from north and west Malta, as well as Gozo Island, provided material for pottery. Parts of the coastline provide chert, a hard material that could be shaped into sharp-edged tools.
Different methods may have been used to lift megaliths into position, possibly a wooden structure or an earth ramp. Internal passages and paved floors were likely built before the external walls were finished since some of these internal features were too large to pass through temple doorways. The megalithic structures were smoothed and finished on-site.
Keep in mind that the Neolithic islanders built the oldest free-standing complex stone buildings in the world with no advanced technology, metal tools, or writing!
Various artists tried to recreate how the temples looked originally. The first to be published was in 1939 by Italian architect Carlo Ceschi.
Hagar Qim's facade, with its trilithon entrance - two upright stones with a third across the top - was restored to what it may have looked like.
This was one of the largest single blocks found in any temple on the Maltese Islands. Weighing close to 20 tons, it was 6.40m long. Imagine the great deal of planning and considerable workforce to put mammoth blocks like this in place!
Two examples of prehistoric sculpture were found in the temple's first chambers: a stone slab with a pair of opposed spirals and a free-standing altar decorated on all four sides with what looked like a potted plant or tree carved in relief. We'd viewed the originals in the National Museum of Archaeology - these were replicas.
The internal chambers, also known as apses, were screened off from the paved central court by thin slabs. Access was limited to 'porthole entrances' or stone slabs that were pierced with rectangular openings forming small doorways.
Roofing: The remains of both Hagar Qim and Mnajdra and other evidence suggest that they were originally roofed over, but the roofs have long since collapsed. However, inside a chamber, Steven and I observed a partial roof where the horizontal blocks above the upright slabs protruded over the one below. These blocks were the remains of the base of a corbelled roof, the type of construction that might have been used to roof over parts of both Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, and Tarxien Temples.
A collection of stone statuettes depicting obese figures was discovered below some steps during restoration work in 1949. The figures are now displayed at the museum in Valletta.
The Fat Lady Reliefs: One of the stone slabs that formed the chamber's wall showed two pairs of legs in high relief, probably forming two obese figures. You may recall the so-called 'Fat Lady' sculptures from the museum post.
Prior to the first excavation in 1839, only the larger megaliths of the remains were visible. Later excavations were undertaken at the site between 1885 and 1954.
A further 700m walk downhill from Hagar Qim brought us to Mnajdra, where we enjoyed more sweeping views over Malta's southern coast.
Our travel guidebook mentioned Mnajdra having three temples side by side, each with a different orientation. They all date from between 3600 and 3000 BC.
The most extensive restoration of Mnajdra Temples took place from 1952 to 1954. During this period, some sections of the external walls were rebuilt using small square blocks. The walls' original sections show that they were constructed in a 'header (or horizontal) and stretcher (or vertical)' arrangement where megaliths were set alternately face out and edge out.
Unlike Hagar Qim, the exterior of Mnajdra Temple was constructed using more resistant Coralline limestone. The softer Globigerina limestone was used inside the temple (second picture below) to allow for a higher finish and carved decoration.
Temple roofing: The internal walls sloped inwards to narrow the span, which was originally covered by a roof. Just as at Hagar Qim, a corbelled roof likely covered parts of the temple.
The East Temple: Though a large portion of this small temple's walls were reconstructed, the upright slabs displaying the pitted decoration were original. One theory about the pitting is that the irregular lines of dots found on the sides of the uprights may have represented a crude calendar or counting system.
I found the signage at Mnajdra to be particularly poor and disappointing. I wasn't able to determine among the 'piles of rocks' which was the oldest temple, which was aligned toward the southwest. Likewise, I don't recall viewing the central temple, which was pointed toward the southeast and was the youngest temple. In addition, I don't know where the aforementioned East Temple fell among the three temples - was it the oldest, the youngest, or what?
Unfortunately, this area at Mnajdra looked like it should have been important, but I had no idea what it was.
According to our guidebook, the Southern Temple was one of Mnajdra's three temples and was considered important for its significant solar alignments. But again, we saw no signage for such a temple and also didn't know whether it was the oldest or the youngest or what it was. Again, I'd loved to have known if the civilizations that built both Hagar Qim and Mnajdra had any interaction with those Neolithic inhabitants that constructed Hal Saflieni and Tarxien temples we'd toured hours earlier just a few miles away. Sadly, there were no guides or guards to ask any questions, so I left rather stymied.
The temples' value, outstanding architecture, and the significance of their development at such an early stage in human history have been recognized internationally. In 1992, Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, and other Maltese Megalithic Temples were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The unparalleled location atop sea cliffs and looking over to the islet of Filfla almost made up for our experience at the temples.
Our last views of Mnajdar were undeniably gorgeous, but I believe tourists' experiences at ancient sites should be more fulfilling than the insufficient information Heritage Malta provided.
Next post: Onward to southern and central Malta.
Posted on March 15th, 2025, from a raw day in Denver, but we're expecting record-warm temperatures in two days, which will be a blessing. Peace to you and your loved ones.
Fascinating to think they could move such huge stones. Lynne Blott
ReplyDeleteI'm still agog at that, too, even after reading how they accomplished the feat, Lynne!
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