Cult places and temples on Gozo
The six places of worship and temples on Gozo are on between 90 and 150 m high ridge in the middle part of the archipelago of Malta belonging island.
Stages of Maltese Culture
- Żebbuġ phase 4th millennium
- Temple culture 1; Mġarr phase
- Temple culture 2; Ġgantija phase
- Temple culture 3; Tarxien phase (around 2500 BC)
- Tarxien Cemetery Phase
Cult places and temples
Ġgantija
36 ° 2 '49.83 " N , 14 ° 16" 8.3 " E
Two neighboring temples, each with a five-part composition with a common facade and casing. Remnants of altars are still preserved in some of the apses. The temples were used during the entire Chalolitic period from the Żebbuġ (approx. 3,800 BC) to the Tarxian phase (2,500 BC). They were the first Maltese prehistoric monuments to be excavated as early as the 1820s.
Borġ il-Għarib
36 ° 1 '50 " N , 14 ° 17' 3.4" E
Two temples with unclear ground plans in two closely adjacent megalithic complexes. Since no excavations were carried out, the use phase of the site is open. The topographical location and nature of the megaliths, however, indicate a use during the phase of temple culture. In view of its regional importance, a very early cult site can also be assumed here. At Għajnsielem there is an eastern and a western find site on the narrow ridge at a height of approx. 91 m. The hill consists of coral limestone and is covered with fertile terra rossa soil . Globigerinida rock, which is easily accessible for temple construction, begins on the northwestern edge. The unexamined site has recently gained importance due to the settlement finds made about 500 m away at Għajnsielem.
- Western site: On the ridge of the terrain, numerous upright megaliths near a farm; possibly stones of the temple.
- Eastern site: megalithic stones that form a corner that is now partially integrated into field walls at one point.
Borġ ta 'l-Imramma
36 ° 1 '10.7 " N , 14 ° 15' 26.5" E
A temple with a shamrock composition. A deep head area in a larger megalithic complex. The topographical location, texture and arrangement of the stones in the manner of a temple with three room bays indicate a use during the temple culture even without excavation. The description of the surface discoveries made by Ashby in 1913 also supports this. At about 122 m height on the flat eastern foothills of Ta 'Ċenċ, the cult site is located at the transition from Ta' Ċenċ to the Wied (dry valley) Mġarr ix-Xini in the middle of a large area with terra rossa soils. The plateau consists of globigerine limestone; On the slope downhill there is (lower) coral limestone from approx. 250 m away. The remains of a casing are documented and can be partially traced on site using panels and protruding blocks. While the interior remains are difficult to identify. However, they seem to be compatible with a three-part composition.
Santa Verna
36 ° 2 ′ 45 " N , 14 ° 15 ′ 28" E
The excavations yielded megalithic remains of a temple with a five-lobed floor plan. The cult site was used from the Għar Dalam phase. All phases of temple culture are also attested. Numerous ceramic fragments from the Ġgantija phase were found, but mainly goods from the final Tarxien phase. The megalithic complex is located in the fertile western part of the Xagħra plateau and is one of the oldest cult sites in Gozo.
Ta 'Marżiena
36 ° 2 ′ 0.3 " N , 14 ° 14 ′ 23.4" E
Temple with an unclear floor plan. Since no excavations were carried out, the use of the site has so far only been documented by surface finds from the Ġgantija and Tarxien phases. However, earlier use cannot be ruled out, as this is Gozo's most westerly cult site, located on a hill of almost 100 m between Victoria and Munxar . The only known cult place of the temple culture in the western part of Gozo on one of the lower coral limestone surfaces. The catchment area was the fertile plateau of Victoria (terra rossa soils).
Xewkija
36 ° 1 ′ 34.9 ″ N , 14 ° 16 ′ 18 ″ E
The excavation plans and rich ceramic finds are lost. The temple with an unclear floor plan was used from the Għar Dalam phase and most likely extended over the entire temple phase. Xewkija is located in the lowland south of the Xagħra plateau on the edge of a flat knoll 106 m high. The temple is one of the oldest places of worship in the center of the island; the fertile terra-rossa soils are enclosed all around by dry tendency. Globigerine lime was available as building material ; a narrow strand of this coral limestone grazes the cult site 100 m away.
The parish church of Xewkija with one of the largest domes in the world is worth seeing in the area of the cult area.
literature
- Joachim von Freeden: Malta and the architecture of its megalithic temples. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1993, ISBN 3-534-11012-9 .
- Jürgen E. Walkowitz: The megalithic syndrome. European cult sites of the Stone Age (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Vol. 36). Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2003, ISBN 3-930036-70-3 .
Map with all coordinates: 
