Vol 3, No 8
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TARXIEN
The large temple at Tarxien is made of large stones laid out in semi-circular chambers. Narrow passageways connected the chambers. The outside of the temples is plain. The walls of the inside are carved images of plants. It is quite clear that the inside was the most import area.
Many stone rollers have been found near the south temple, now in ruins.
It appears that they were used as ball bearings to move the large blocks
of stone into place.
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The island of Malta is in the Mediterranean Sea 50 miles south of Sicily.
Today it is off the beaten path but not isolated.
Around 5,500 years ago, it was very isolated.
The people grew crops and raised goats, sheep and pigs and
developed the first organized religion.
They left us temples which are the first evidence of preplanned architecture.
The Tarxien temples, a unique group of temples dating from 3150 to 2500 BC,
are the most complex of all temples in Malta.
They comprise four temple units linked by a square court.
and were the last to be built on the islands
Below the temple, a very extensive network of tunnels dug into the earth and
solid stone are filled with human remains. They were clearly used as tombs.
The practice of burying the dead near the temple started with the very first
organization of religion itself.
We know from archeological studies here and elsewhere that ancient people had diets
that were limited. Obesity was non-existent. In spite of this, many of the stone
idols found in the Malta temples show very obese people without
indication of their sex. Nothing in the temples indicates that they
worshipped or performed ceremonies of fertility. All of the ceremonies seem to
center around the growing of crops. They either were asking for the present crop
to be good or were giving thanks for the success of this year’s crop.
Archeologists found no evidence of human sacrifices.
A table with shallow “bowls” craved into the surface appears to have been
used as an altar to grind the first of the new crop in
front of the “god” they were thanking for the successful harvest.
Animal bones and flint knives also suggest the possbility of animal sacrifice.