Malta - Day 03 - Birgu - 07 March 2024 - The monolithic structures

 

Impossible to describe, these huge structures have survived for 6200 years. We still know very little about the people that created these structures, why they were created and what they were used for.

We have no photos of the Hypogeum as the environment is so controlled that only few people are allowed in daily - all possession are put away in lockers, so no photos allowed, the photo below is courtesy of www.visitmalta.com.

The Hypogeum, or underground cavity, is a unique monument and superb example of architecture in the negative. Excavation has yielded a wealth of archaeological material including pottery, human bones, personal ornaments such as beads and amulets, little carved animals and larger figurines.

The Tarxien Temples are above ground megalithic structures whereas The Hypogeum is of similar structure but an underground crypt filled with bodies.

These photos were taken of the Tarxien temple. An outside structure dating back to 3000BC. The civilization vanished with no trace as to its future.

The lower part of a colossal statue of a figure wearing a pleated skirt stands sentinel to the dawn of civilization in the highly decorated South Temple within the Tarxien Neolithic Complex site. Discovered in 1913 by farmer Lorenzo Despott, the site consists of a complex of four megalithic structures built in the late Neolithic and then readapted for use during the Early Bronze Age. Only the lower part of the walls survives in the easternmost structure, the oldest part of the complex. However, it is still possible to see its concave façade and five chambers. The extensive archaeological excavations undertaken between 1915 and 1919 were led by Sir Themistocles Zammit, Director of Museums at the time.