Museums and Heritage Sites

GGANTIJA TEMPLES

The Ġgantija temples are found in the village of Xagħra on the island of Gozo.
They form one of the most important archaeological sites in Malta and Gozo and have
contributed a great deal to the understanding of Maltese prehistory. 
These temples were first excavated in 1827 by Col. John Otto Bayer.
However, extensive archaeological and "restoration" work was done in the early 20th century
in order to ensure the preservation of the temples and their surroundings.
     
The origins of the Ġgantija temples go back as early as c.3600 B.C. and are thus
recognised by international cultural institutions, such as UNESCO, as being the oldest
freestanding structures in the world.  In fact, the Ġgantija temples are included in
UNESCO's World Heritage List.  The Ġgantija temples were built during the
Ġgantija phase (c.3600-3000 B.C.) - so called after the site itself -
in the Temple period (c.4100-2500 B.C.) when an extremely advanced society inhabited the
Maltese islands.
   
The megalithic complex consists of two temples surrounded by a massive common boundary wall.
They are built with rough undressed Coralline Limestone blocks both in the inner and outer
walls.  Each temple contains five apses and a middle passageway leading to the entrance. 
The two temples are normally referred to as the Southern and the Northern temples respectively. 
However, the Southern is larger and contains a variety of important features such as altars, relief carvings,
and libation holes.  The Northern temple was built later and, in contrast,
remained deprived of such features. 
However, its inner apse is different from that of the Southern temple in that it is reduced
to a niche.
 
Worth noting is also the corbelling effect evident on the walls that indicates some
kind of corbelled roofing.  However, certain scholars believe that the roofing was made up
of wooden beams covered with branches, reeds, and so on, and finally, with a layer of blue clay
to prevent rainwater penetration.  The massive boundary wall is one of the most striking features
of the entire temple complex.  Its construction is based on the alternating header and stretcher
technique, and most of the megaliths exceed 5 metres in length and weigh over 50 tonnes.
The common forecourt of the temples was probably used for external ceremonies and/or as a meeting place.
 
It seems evident that rituals held inside the temples consisted of sacrificial
offerings of domestic animals and perhaps also liquid offerings. 
Certainly, the Ġgantija temples form one of the most important archaeological sites on
the Maltese islands.  The gigantic dimensions of the megaliths captured the imagination
of the local population to such an extent that the temples themselves came to be the subject
of folk legends involving giants building huge temples like Ġgantija and, thus,
the temples got the popular name they still enjoy nowadays: ĠGANTIJA