Temples, Tombs and Trees: Towards A Reconstruction of the Neolithic Temples of Malta

Abstract

The Neolithic “temples” of Malta from the 7th – 5th millennia BP have been objects of curiosity for European scholarship since the 18th century. What has pre-occupied architects and been discussed by archaeologists is the structural design and the kinds of materials used to make the roofs of these huge, freestanding structures. The roofing of the apses and crossways has been lost over the four and a half thousand years since the end of the Temple Period c. 4,500 BP. The absence of any remains of roofing has led to the establishment of two primary sets of proposals – massive limestone roofs (the ‘Italian theory) or superficial timber roofs (the ‘British theory). Previous architectural reconstructions have been based on technical assumptions and not on the archaeology. The primary research aim of this thesis is to design a reconstruction that is based on archaeological evidence about the nature of the roofs, is architecturally stable and uses materials demonstrably available on a sufficient scale during the Neolithic period. While limestone is abundant on Malta, previous models of timber roofing have presumed superficial structures. Palynological analyses have shown however, that the vegetation of Malta from 7,200 BP onwards included suitable arboreal taxa such as Pinus halepensis and Quercus ilex that could have been used for temple roofing construction on a large scale. With this established, two temple designs are tested – one entirely composed of limestone, the other being a new composite design using substantial timber and limestone in the form of torba. The reconstruction is modelled from two elaborately carved burial chambers in the limestone of the hypogeum at Hal Saflieni. The carvings display a box entrance structure, two niches surrounding a portal, a large base slab and two or three stepped v beams above. These carvings are taken to be representative of the architecture of the interior doorways of the temples LiDAR models of the hypogeum chambers have been modelled onto 3D photogrammetry derived models of the remaining stone structures of the Mnajdra and Tarxien temple complexes to identify a possible format for the roof design. Though both the limestone and timber reconstructions are structurally feasible, archaeological evidence is lacking for the size and shape of the limestone slabs required by the hypogeum configuration. From a structurally feasible roof reconstruction that is consistent with the archaeology, further inferences can be made about the temples and their relationship to their environment, including how the structures were maintained and kept watertight; the structural modifications of the temples; their relationship to the ecology of Malta and whether cultural isolation did intensify towards the end of the “temple” culture, c. 4,500 BP.