 The temple in 2020 | |
  Ġgantija Location in Malta | |
| Location | Xagħra,Gozo,Malta |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°02′50″N14°16′09″E / 36.04722°N 14.26917°E /36.04722; 14.26917 |
| Type | Temple |
| Height | 6 meters |
| History | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Founded | c. 3600 BC |
| Periods | Ġgantija phase |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1827, 1933, 1936, 1949, 1956–1957, 1958–1959 |
| Condition | Well-preserved ruins |
| Ownership | Government of Malta |
| Management | Heritage Malta |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Heritage Malta |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
 Interactive map of Ġgantija | |
| Official name | Ġgantija Temples |
| Part of | Megalithic Temples of Malta |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iv) |
| Reference | 132ter-001 |
| Inscription | 1980 (4thSession) |
| Extensions | 1992, 2015 |
| Area | 0.715 ha (77,000 sq ft) |
| Buffer zone | 33 ha (0.13 sq mi) |
Ġgantija (Maltese pronunciation:[d͡ʒɡɐnˈtiːjɐ]; "place of giants") is amegalithic temple complex from theNeolithic era (c. 3600–2500 BC), on theMediterranean island ofGozo inMalta. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of theMegalithic Temples of Malta and are older than thepyramids of Egypt. Their makers erected the two Ġgantija temples during theNeolithic, which makes these temples more than 5,500 years old and the world's second-oldest existing manmadereligious structures afterGöbekli Tepe in present-dayTurkey. Together with other similar structures, these have been designated aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site, the Megalithic Temples of Malta.
The temples are elements of a ceremonial site used in afertility rite. Researchers have found that the numerous figurines and statues found on the site are associated with that cult. According to local Gozitanfolklore, a giantess named Sansuna who ate nothing butfava beans and honey bore a child from a man of the common people. With the child hanging from her shoulder, she built these temples and used them as places of worship.[1][2]
The Ġgantija temples stand at the edge of the Xagħra plateau, facing toward the south-east. This megalithic monument encompasses two temples and an incomplete third, of which only the facade was partially built before being abandoned. LikeMnajdra South, it faces theequinox sunrise, built side by side and enclosed within a boundary wall. The southerly one is the larger and older one, dating back to around 3600 BC. It is also better preserved.[3] The plan of the temple incorporates five largeapses, with traces of the plaster that once covered the irregular wall still clinging between the blocks.[4]
The temples are built in the typical clover-leaf shape, with inner-facing blocks marking the shape. The space between the walls was then filled in with rubble. A series of semi-circularapses is connected with a central passage.Archaeologists believe that the apses were originally covered by roofing.
The effort is a remarkable feat considering the monuments were constructed when thewheel had not yet been introduced and no metal tools were available to the Maltese Islanders. Small, spherical stones have been discovered. They were used asball bearings for the vehicles that transported the enormous stone blocks used for the temples.[citation needed]
The temple, like other megalithic sites in Malta, facessoutheast. The southern temple rises to a height of 6 m (19.69 ft). At the entrance sits a large stone block with a recess, which led to the hypothesis that this was a ritualablution station for purification before worshippers entered the complex.[5] The five apses contain various altars. Researchers have found animal bones on the site that suggest the space was used foranimal sacrifice.
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Residents and travelers knew about the existence of the temple for a long time. In the late 18th century, before any excavations were carried out,Jean-Pierre Houël drew a plan based on that knowledge, which has been found to be highly accurate.[6][7] In 1827, Col. John Otto Bayer, the Lieutenant Governor of Gozo, had the site cleared of debris.[8] The soil and remains were lost without having been properly examined.[9] German artistCharles Frederick de Brocktorff had painted a picture of the site within a year or two prior to the removal of the debris, so he made a record of the site before clearance.[9]
After the excavations were conducted in 1827, the ruins fell into decay. The remains were included on the Antiquities List of 1925.[10] The land was held privately until 1933, when the Government expropriated it for public benefit. The Museums Department conducted extensive archaeological work in 1933, 1936, 1949, 1956–1957 and 1958–1959. Its goal was to clear, preserve, and research the ruins and their surroundings.[citation needed]
The Ġgantija temples were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. In 1992, the Committee decided to expand the listing to include five other megalithic temples located across the islands of Malta and Gozo. The Ġgantija listing was renamed "the Megalithic Temples of Malta".[11]
The temple and the surrounding areas were restored or rehabilitated in the 2000s.[12] Lightweight walkways were installed in the temple in 2011, to protect the floor.[13] A heritage park was developed and opened in 2013.[14]
Anthropologist Kathryn Rountree has explored how "Malta’s neolithic temples", including Ġgantija, "have been interpreted, contested and appropriated by different local and foreign interest groups: those working in the tourist industry, intellectuals and Maltese nationalists, hunters, archaeologists, artists, and participants in the globalGoddess movement."[15]
Reportedly, some Goddess tours refer to the two temples at Ġgantija "as the Mother & Daughter Temple."[16]
![Possible Eternal flame in the south complex[citation needed]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEternal_Flame_in_%25C4%25A0gantija_temples.JPG)
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
