Megalithic sites of Ta 'Blankas

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The megalithic complexes of Ta 'Blankas are located in an olive grove south of the village of Xewkija on the island of Gozo, which belongs to Malta . They consist of two dolmens and a row of stones . Nearby there is a grinding track ( English cart rut ).

Dolmen

In Maltese, dolmens are called l-imsaqqfa (with a roof). They consist of a roughly hewn capstone, which is supported on two or three sides by supporting stones, which mostly stand on one of their long narrow sides. The bedrock is worked out under the middle, so that a pit up to 60 cm deep was created. The dolmens served as a cult site and burial site (for cremation graves). The megalithic systems date from the early Bronze Age "Tarxien Cemetery phase" (2500–1500 BC). The closest parallels can be found in Apulia and Sicily .

Dolmen A

Dolmen A ( location ) has a slightly tilted large capstone about 2.1 × 1.45 meters. Only one of the two supporting stones has survived.

Dolmen B

Dolmen B ( location ) is built similarly to Dolmen A, but intact but has a thick capstone.

Row of stones

The approximately 3 m long double row of stones made of coarse megaliths is located south of dolmen A ( location ). Its purpose is unknown.

Grinding marks

The wagon tracks are in an olive grove south of the village of Xewkija ( Lage ). There are two pairs of ruts, each oriented southwest-northeast. The longer and better preserved pair is about 60 m long.

See also

literature

  • Joachim von Freeden: Malta and the architecture of its megalithic temples. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1993, ISBN 3-534-11012-9 .
  • Johannes Horn: The riddle of Malta. The cart rods reveal their secret. Ancient Mail Verlag Betz, Groß-Gerau 2006, ISBN 3-935-91039-8 .
  • Abbas Islamov, Ronnie Gallagher: Cart Ruts and Stone Circles. Key Evidence from the Past Is Endangered. In: Azerbaijan International. 10.3, Fall 2002, ISSN  1075-086X , pp. 28-31, ( online ; general article about abrasion marks; English).

Web links