Menhirs in Malta
Today only eight menhirs , which are in the southern parts of the two large islands of the archipelago, are considered menhirs on Malta . As a rule, they are on gentle slopes with heights between 20 and 90 meters. Only the menhirs of Qala on Gozo are higher at 120 m , where the largest is also at a height of 3.3 m.
There are two theses about the existence of menhirs. The first declares the menhirs to be remnants of temple culture . This is legitimized by excavations at the Skorba Menhir - which turned out to be the upper part of a monolith of the temple from the Ggantija phase . Temple pottery was also found near the Tal--ofra menhir at Gudja . According to the excavator, the Maltese menhirs should be ascribed to this phase. Menhirs are otherwise a phenomenon of the Bronze Age . It is interesting that the menhirs in Apulia and Corsica , similar to the Maltese islands , are often near dolmens .
Another explanation for the existence of menhirs is that the stones were formed by natural phenomena. This is said to apply to the menhir near Il-Migbha on the hill near Xemxija . The Maltese menhirs are usually unworked. The material consists of either corals (Qala, Ta 'Ghammar) or Globigerinida - limestone (Kirkop, Wied il-Ghajn), which is determined by the availability in the area.
In contrast to continental European examples, no significant orientation has been associated with the Maltese monoliths. A row (like the Is-Salib - dt. The cross) bears markings of Christianization during the last 500 years, which indicates a previously pagan meaning.
literature
- Joachim von Freeden: Malta and the architecture of its megalithic temples. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1993, ISBN 3-534-11012-9 .