Maltese Prehistory 3

In the Early Bronze Age, known locally as the Tarxien Cemetery Phase (2500-1500 BC), new settlers came to the Maltese Islands, bringing with them a different material culture and customs. These people sometimes reused earlier Temple period buildings that they found on the islands. One such example is the Xaghra Circle which, after a millennium and a half used as a burial place, was reused in the Bronze Age for domestic purposes. Material found dating to this period is similar to that found at Tarxien Cemetery Phase levels in Skorba, where part of a megalithic temple site was reused as a dwelling. Nuffara, a flat-topped hill facing Ggantija, was also used in the later Bronze Age (1500-700 BC). Here a number of bell-shaped pits were cut into the rock, and were probably used for the storage of grain.

Fragments of this large stone figurine were found scattered over an area around 7 meters wide, suggesting that the statuette could have been purposely thrown down from a certain height. This, as well as similar evidence from other megalithic temples, poses a very interesting question: why were these seemingly important representations being broken on purpose?
Photos: Füsun Kavrakoğlu, 2016.

Seated clay figurines and clay representation of a snail with a human head from the Xaghra Circle, which is the only prehistoric stone-enclosed hypogeum in Europe.

The Sleeping Lady, c. 3000 BC.
This unique creation represents a singular achievement in Maltese prehistoric art. This beautifully rendered figure of the reclining lady was discovered in a pit in one of the painted galleries of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. Often hailed as a sleeping mother goddess, the figure may well be an eloquent representation of Death or the eternal sleep.

The Hagar Qim & Mnajdra Archaeological Park

Tempji Neolitici Tal-Ggantija (UNESCO World Heritage)