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Defenatly have look at at ggantija when you have the chance! Amazing temple, even older than Stonehnge!
Have a look at this website I found for more photo's and info on ggantija and other neolithic temples in Gozo and Malta.
Written May 2, 2010
Website: http://maltaholidayinfo.com/neolithictemples.html
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Across the road to the north, a natural cave was discovered in 1949.
It is supposed that the cave was originally a rock-cut tomb, but it might also have served as temple refuse.
Inside a great quantity of broken pottery of the Tarxien phase, but also fragments of a human skull and some animal bones have been found.
Written Oct 12, 2006
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Many of the signs left in the temples suggest that rituals of life and fertility have been practiced here.
It is said that the huge stone block which can be seen at the entrance in the southern temple was used for animal purification rituals before entering the temple.
The inner rooms of the temple were used by the priests, while the others would have gathered outside the temples walls.
Written Oct 12, 2006
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At the entrance of the southern temple, small, spherical stones, discovered in the temples, are displayed.
It is believed that these were used as ball bearings to transport the enormous stone blocks required for the temples' construction.
Written Oct 12, 2006
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Round holes can be seen both in the walls and in the paving slabs, especially in the southern temple.
Those in the paving slabs were made in order to allow liquid offerings to pass through to the underworld.
Those in the walls were made in order to hold screens or bars to close off access.
Written Oct 12, 2006
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As the boundary wall, the temples walls are not less impressive: the largest megaliths are round six by four meters.
The internal walls were made of coralline limestone rubble, covered in plaster.
The form of the walls suggests that the whole structure was once roofed.
Written Oct 12, 2006
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The first temple of the two, the southern one, is larger, older and more extensive.
Rising at a height of six meters, the five apses of the temple contain also numerous altars, relief carvings and wall holes.
Recent calculations have suggested that the south temple would have taken some 15 000 man/days to construct!
Written Oct 12, 2006
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The boundary wall is the most remarkable feature of the complex.
Some of the blocks have even five meters in length and weight over fifty tons.
It seems that the wall was built using the alternating header and stretcher technique.
Written Oct 12, 2006
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The two cloverleaf-shaped temples are sharing the same facade.
Each of them was built as a series of semi-circular apses connected with a hall in the center.
According to the archaeologists, the apses were originally covered by masonry domes.
Written Oct 12, 2006
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Excavated between 1816 and 1820, the complex comprises two Neolithic temples dating from the third millennium BC (3600 to 3000 BC).
The temples are built with rough, coralline limestone blocks and contain five apses connected by a central corridor.
The stone slabs weigh several tons and the outside walls are up to six meters high and this is really impressive considering that the temples have been constructed in a period when no metal tools were available and the wheel didn't exist.
Written Oct 12, 2006
Reviews and photos of Ggantija attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Ggantija sightseeing.
Excavated between 1816 and 1820, the complex comprises two Neolithic temples dating from the third millennium BC (3600 to 3000 BC). The temples are built with...
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Among the best-preserved temples on the Maltese Islands, the Ggantija Temples, on Gozo, are thought to be the oldest free-standing structures in the world. More than 6000 years old, the Ggantija...
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Ggantija - The World's Oldest Buildings
The temples of Ggantija in the town of Xaghra on Gozo are the oldest man made constructions on the planet. They date from 3600BC and pre-date every other known construction, including the wonders of...
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South Temple Trilithic Niches . Ggantija - ‘giants tower’ two ancient temples side by side, the South perhaps the oldest in the world. Located in Xaghra on Malta's second largest island,...
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