Location of Megalithic Temples of Malta (the ones in bold are UNESCO World Heritage Sites)
The Megalithic Temples of Malta (Maltese: It-Tempji Megalitiċi ta' Malta) are several prehistoric temples, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites,[1] built during three distinct periods approximately between 3600 BC and 2500 BC on the island country of Malta.[2] They had been claimed as the oldest free-standing structures on Earth until the discovery of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey.[3] Archaeologists believe that these megalithic complexes are the result of local innovations in a process of cultural evolution.[4][5] This led to the building of several temples of the Ġgantija phase (3600–3000 BC), culminating in the large Tarxien temple complex, which remained in use until 2500 BC. After this date, the temple-building culture disappeared.[6][7]
The Ġgantija temples were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.[8] In 1992, the UNESCO Committee further extended the existing listing to include five other megalithic temple sites. These are Ħaġar Qim (in Qrendi), Mnajdra (in Qrendi), Ta' Ħaġrat Temples (in Mġarr), Skorba Temples (in Żebbiegħ) and Tarxien Temples (in Tarxien).[8] Nowadays, the sites are managed by Heritage Malta, while ownership of the surrounding lands varies from site to site.[9][10] Apart from these, there are other megalithic temples in Malta which are not included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
^"21 World Heritage Sites you have probably never heard of". Daily Telegraph. 4 March 2018.
^"Megalithic Temples of Malta – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
^"The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Temples of Malta". Bradshawfoundation.com. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
^Blouet, The Story of Malta, p. 22
^"Prehistoric Temples of Malta". Retrieved 2008-09-16.
^Blouet, The Story of Malta, p. 28
^"Malta: Ancient Home to Goddesses and Fertility Cults". Archived from the original on 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
^ ab"Megalithic Temples of Malta". Retrieved 2008-09-16.
^"Malta Temples and The OTS Foundation". Otsf.org. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
^David Trump et al., Malta Before History (2004: Miranda Publishers)
and 20 Related for: Megalithic Temples of Malta information
The MegalithicTemplesofMalta (Maltese: It-Tempji Megalitiċi ta' Malta) are several prehistoric temples, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites...
along with the other Megalithictemples on the island ofMalta. The Tarxien Temples consist of three separate, but attached, temple structures. The main...
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added to the site of Ġgantija Temples, to form the MegalithicTemplesofMalta site. Further minor modification of boundaries of this site took place in 2015...
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Northwest France". The New York Times. "MegalithicTemplesofMalta". "Archaeology". Calado, Manuel (2015). "Menhirs of Portugal:all Quiet on the Western Front...
in historic locations such as the Ġgantija temples, which, along with the other MegalithicTemplesofMalta, are amongst the world's oldest free-standing...
Edinburgh. Birlinn. p. 40. "MegalithicTemplesofMalta". UNESCO. Retrieved 15 July 2012. Mcintosh, Jane (2009). Handbook of Life in Prehistoric Europe...
a megalithic site in Xagħra on the island of Gozo, Malta. The site was originally occupied by a village and a megalithictemple. Although the temple is...
Xemxija Tombs MegalithicTemplesofMalta Ħal-Saflieni Hypogeum Għar Dalam Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tombs in Malta. The Megalithic Portal and...
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famous trilithons are those at Stonehenge and those found in the MegalithicTemplesofMalta. The word trilithon is derived from the Greek 'having three stones'...
System of the Vinča Culture ca. 4000 BC. Calgary: Western Publishers. Daniel Cilia, "Malta Before Common Era", in The MegalithicTemplesofMalta. Retrieved...
notable for the Tarxien Temples, a megalithictemple complex which is among the oldest freestanding structures on Earth. It forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage...
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