Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex

Within the elaborately adorned South Temple that is part of the Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex, the lower portion of a monumental statue depicting a person with a pleated skirt stands sentinel to the beginning of civilisation. The site, which was found in 1913 by a farmer named Lorenzo Despott, is made up of a complex of four megalithic buildings that were created during the late Neolithic period and later repurposed for usage during the Early Bronze Age. The walls of the Easternmost building at the Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex, which is the earliest element of the complex, have been preserved only along their lower portions. In spite of this, it is still feasible to view the concave facade as well as the five rooms. Sir Themistocles Zammit, who was serving as Director of Museums at the time, was in charge of directing the massive archaeological excavations that took place between 1915 and 1919.

The South building at the Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex has a wealth of ancient artwork, including sculptures in bas-relief that show animals and spirals. Goats, pigs, bulls, and even a ram are some of the domesticated creatures that are shown here. The discovery of a vast number of animal bones within this structure, the majority of which were located in certain regions, provides evidence of the significance that these creatures held during that historical period. The Eastern building is laid up in the same way as other megalithic constructions, with a central corridor that is on either side of a chamber that is in the shape of a semicircle at each location. The existence of arched roofing in the Central Structure, which was the last of the four structures to be constructed, provides visitors with the ability to envision what these temples may have seemed like when they were covered.

The fact that some of the passageways leading from one section of the Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex to another are occasionally obstructed by physical obstacles gives the impression that some of these structures were only accessible to a subset of the local population. There is evidence of the usage of fire within the Central Structure. There is a big hearth in the corridor that connects the first pair of apses, and there is also a smaller fireplace in the corridor that connects the second pair of apses. Even though we don’t have a lot of information about what went on within these buildings, the evidence implies that they were significant structures that played a vital role in the lives of the Neolithic people who lived on the island. In the early Bronze Age, which began after 2,000 B.C., new settlers to the islands converted certain places inside the site into a cremation cemetery, leaving behind a wealth of information regarding their practices and the artefacts they used.