The civilization that produced the temples of Malta is one shrouded in mystery. Little is known about them aside from the limited amount to be gleaned from archaeological finds.

It is estimated that humans arrived on the previously uninhabited Maltese islands somewhere between 7,000 and 5,000 BCE. They came from what is now Sicily, which is separated from Malta by less than sixty miles of sea. The Maltese islands are visible from Sicily on a clear day, so they could see their target destination.

They lived first in caves, of which Malta has many. Gradually, they built huts and villages. They formed beautiful, symmetrically-shaped and decorated pottery, of which some examples remain. They began to cultivate in the rocky soil and grow crops. Trade with Sicily continued, as evidenced by samples of flint and pottery.

Approximately 3,600 BCE, based on carbon dating, they began to construct temples of two different types of limestone found in the islands, hard coralline limestone and soft globigerina limestone. The coralline limestone was used for the walls and basic structures, and the globigerina limestone was formed and smoothed for more decorative elements.

There are remains from thirty different temple complexes, built over a period of a thousand years, and significantly predating both Stonehenge and the pyramids at Giza. Although the design of the temples changed with time, they have some common forms. They consist of hemispherical apses bordering a straight passage, and are generally in a trefoil shape. They are approached through monumental trilithon doorways (two uprights topped by a lintel). The main entrances face out into an open space.

The walls were designed in an ingenious corbelled fashion, meaning that the lower layers were thickest, and the upper layers each shifted slightly inward from the one below to form a dome shape. The dome was not closed, but the opening was covered with animal hides to serve as a roof. Even after thousands of years, walls still stand to a height over twenty feet.

The stones were quarried locally and transported on rollers to the building sites. Stone balls have been found buried at the sites, indicating that the blocks were shifted into place using the more maneuverable balls rather than rollers.

A large number of figurines have been found in the temple remains. Many of them are of the form of a female, of exaggerated size features and limbs. The consensus of scientists is that the temple builders worshiped a mother goddess or “mother earth,” and that these are representations of her form. The temples themselves were decorated with spiral and animal forms carved into the soft globigerina limestone. Physical evidence at the temple sites confirms the practice of animal sacrifice.

Although the temples were massive undertakings, they are not large enough for many people to be inside at the same time. It is more likely that priests or elders performed rituals inside and the general population remained outside.

About 2,500 BCE the temple civilization seemed to disappear. No one is certain why this happened. There is speculation that a series of drought years may have driven the inhabitants to leave the islands, but no one knows for sure.

In recognition of the unique character of these temple sites, UNESCO has designated eight locations on Malta as World Heritage sites. Perhaps with further study and excavation, more will be discovered to explain the mysteries of Malta’s temple builders. For an excellent overview of the history, visit the Bradshaw Foundation website, and for a wonderful series of photos of the temples, visit art-and-archaeology.com.