Figurative sculpture in Malta
A group of Neolithic figurines is referred to as a figurative sculpture , which - as far as they can be dated via the context of the find - between 3,600–3,000 BC. Were made in Malta .
description
The figurines have been found in various degrees of preservation and sizes, but mostly as torsos . Five obese sculptures were found in the south temple of Ħa Plastar Qim , which J. von Freeden views for building victims. The extremely corpulent figures follow the characteristic notions of voluminous body shape, which include strongly rounded arms and legs as well as expansive buttocks. The size varies from miniatures that are only about two cm high to statues that are a good 50 cm high. Colossal dimensions are only reached in the case of the "seated", which was found in the western temple of Tarxien . This figure must originally have been about two meters high. Two other torsos are estimated to be three feet high.
Size and material as well as the place where and the condition in which they were found are criteria for answering the question of what they represent. The material palette of the figurines on the archipelago ranges from stone, mainly local soft limestone but occasionally also alabaster , to clay that is fired with different degrees of hardness . Those terracotta figurines that were discovered in large numbers mixed with human skeletal remains in tombs at Xaghra Circle on Gozo are small and simple. A fragment of a large statue was also found here. The larger figures were found in temples - eight inside the temple of Ħaġar Qim , but also in the hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni .
Interpretations
Due to the connection with the temple, the size of the specimen from Tarxien suggests that one or different deities were represented by means of the sculptures. This question arises from a double presentation of the same figure, carved as a relief in a stone block that is part of the great apse of Ħaġar Qim. Of both, only the calf area remained, which shows, however, that they belong to the corpulent species.
They have been referred to as mother goddesses or “fat ladies”, although their gender is at least ambivalent due to the androgynous representation, even if some are completely or partially naked. The sex is only presumed on the basis of obesity, which appears to be feminine, and because of the obvious femininity of the so-called Sleeping Lady , from the hypogeum. The extremely weak breasts for such voluminous women speak against this.
During the excavations in Xaghra Circle, two figures sitting side by side were found. They are of the corpulent type and resemble the colossal statues of Tarxien. They appear to be bare-breasted, but neither is their gender recognizable. One figure is carrying a small cup, the other is caressing a miniature that looks exactly the same. The third statue allows interpretations such as that of a trio of gods man, woman and child, which has parallels in the religions of the eastern Mediterranean. There is another such composition in Malta. It was found as a relief on the fragments of two originally around 30 cm high statues in the Temple of Tarxi. Each figure sits on a kind of bench and wears a pleated skirt. The miniatures are incorporated in one case as a very flat relief on the back and on one side of the bench and in the other case on the bench and on the skirt of the figure.
GR Levy believes that this standard outline has been intentionally reproduced to reflect the internal shape of the great temple complexes. This theory could be combined with a duality, because several temple complexes consist of two units of roughly equal size built next to each other. Against this is the fact that several complexes consist of three or more units and are not necessarily next to each other. It must be taken into account that the standard form of the temple was subject to an evolution and developed from a cloverleaf-shaped floor plan to a form consisting of two pairs of apses with a partly flat niche in the head part, which only later changed into diffuse system forms.
A significant specialty are some figures that were made with a flexible connection between head and body. Apparently, different heads were placed on the torso, which were attached with strings.
The figure of Venus
The so-called “Venus of Malta” found in Ħaġar Qim is considered to be one of the few clear images of a woman left by the Maltese temple culture. This terracotta is almost 13 cm high. In contrast to the stylized corpulent types, the representation is naturalistic. "Venus" has a certain erotic aura. There are other examples of female figures of similar size, in formal naturalistic representation, with similar proportions. One found in the Temple of Tarxia is in a sitting position with slanting thighs pulled up to the chest. Their composition is surprisingly modern. A female figure resembling the Cycladic idols was found in Skorba .
literature
- Joachim von Freeden: Malta and the architecture of its megalithic temples. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1993, ISBN 3-534-11012-9 , p. 74.
- Gertrude Rachel Levy: The gate of horn. A study of the religious conceptions of the stone age, and their influence upon European thought. Faber & Faber, London 1948.
- Gernot Tromnau: The great goddess of fertility. The temples of prehistoric times on Malta (= Duisburg accents. 16). City of Duisburg - The Oberstadtdirektor et al., Duisburg 1992, ISBN 3-923576-94-3 .
Web links
- Description (Engl.)