Tarxien Temples, Malta 
Altar with nested stones, South Temple. Photo © Andreas Neumann.
Stairway in a Tarxien temple. © Andreas Neumann
"Fat Lady" fertility figure and carved spirals. Photo © Joonas Lindholm.
Large relief of two bulls and a sow. Photo © Joonas Lindholm.
Spiral designs on an altar, South Temple. Photo © Andreas Neumann.
"Roller stones." Photo © Andreas Neumann
Replica pottery. © Lucy Toman
Carved altar with animals, South Temple. © Andreas Neumann
The Tarxien temples are four megalithic temples constructed in southern Malta between 3600 and 2500 BC. They are notable for their complexity, fine construction and variety of figural carvings.
History
Dating from between 3600 and 2500 BC, the Tarxien temple complex consists of four temples connected by a square court. The temples each have separate entrances.
Uniquely, the central temple consists of six apses. This is the only known example of such a layout and it represents a final phase in the long evolution of Maltese temple architecture. A narrow staircase connects the central temple to the east temple.
The Tarxien temples were frequently used for rituals, including animal sacrifice. This is known thanks to the discovery of a flint blade, a long bone spatula, animal bones, and marine shells within a carved altar.
The Tarxien temples are notable for their fine worksmanship and decorative carvings, which include domestic animals carved in relief, exquisite spiral designs, and other patterns. Especially impressive is a relief of two bulls and a sow between the South and Central temples.
The spiral is the most common design in megalithic art on Malta, and indeed around the world. Believed by some to represent eternity, the design is expressed in a wide variety of forms across the islands and clearly had a significant meaning for the ancient Maltese peoples.
Fertility goddess figures (now in the national museum in Valetta) discovered in the ruins indicate that the temples were dedicated to the Earth Mother, as were many Maltese temples. The most famous of these figures is a sculpture of large hips with feet, dubbed the "Fat Lady."
Spherical stones found at the site have provided a valuable clue as to how the great stones of Malta's megalithic temples were moved into place—they were probably rolled on the stones while being towed with ropes.
In the Bronze Age (2400-1500 BC), Tarxien was reused as a cremation cemetery.
The site lie hidden for centuries until its discovery in 1914, when farmers struck large stone blocks while ploughing a field. Sir Temistocles Zammit, Malta’s first director of museums, excavated the site in 1915-17.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Tarxien temples |
| Type of site: | Megalithic temples; goddess shrine |
| Dates: | 3600-2500 BC |
| Size: | 4, 200 sq m |
| Location: | Southern Malta island, Malta |
| Address: | Neolithic Temples Street, Tarxien PLA 11, Malta |
| Phone: | 2169 5578 |
| Hours: | Daily 9-5 (last admission 4:30). Closed Dec. 24, 25, 31, Jan 1, Good Friday |
| Cost: | Lm 1 |
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of the Tarxien Temples on Malta. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Malta Map or get our free Google Earth download.
Sources
- Tarxien Temples - Heritage Malta
- Tarxien Temples - The Malta National Museum of Archaeology
- Tarxien Temples - Visit Malta
- J.D. Evans, Malta (1959).
- Marija Gimbutas, The Civilization of the Goddess: The World of Old Europe
(1991).
- Geoffrey Aquilina Ross, Blue Guide Malta and Gozo, 5th ed. (2000).
- Merlin Stone, When God Was a Woman (1976).
- Peg Streep, Sanctuaries of the Goddess: The Sacred Landscapes and Objects
(1994).
- Karen Tate, Sacred Places of Goddess
(2006).
