Ġgantija
Sign in to saveĠgantija (; "place of giants") is a megalithic temple complex from the Neolithic era (–2500 BC), on the Mediterranean island of Gozo in Malta. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of the Megalithic Temples of Malta and are older than the pyramids of Egypt. Their makers erected the two Ġgantija temples during the Neolithic, which makes these temples more than 5,500 years old and the world's second-oldest existing manmade religious structures after Göbekli Tepe in present-day Turkey. Together with other similar structures, these have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Megalithic
Key facts
- Ancient site.name
- Ġgantija
- Ancient site.image
- File:Ggantija Temple on Gozo.jpg
- Ancient site.alt
- temple Malta
- Ancient site.caption
- The temple in 2020
- Ancient site.map_type
- Malta
- Ancient site.relief
- yes
- Ancient site.map_caption
- Location in Malta
- Ancient site.location
- Xagħra, Gozo, Malta
- Ancient site.type
- Temple
- Ancient site.height
- 6 meters
- Ancient site.material
- Limestone
- Ancient site.epochs
- Ġgantija phase
- Ancient site.excavations
- 1827, 1933, 1936, 1949, 1956–1957, 1958–1959
- Ancient site.condition
- Well-preserved ruins
- Ancient site.ownership
- Government of Malta
- Ancient site.management
- Heritage Malta
- Ancient site.public_access
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.child
- yes
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
7 sectionsContents
- Description and design
- Excavations and recognition
- Contemporary interpretations
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- External links
Ġgantija (; "place of giants") is a megalithic temple complex from the Neolithic era (–2500 BC), on the Mediterranean island of Gozo in Malta. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of the Megalithic Temples of Malta and are older than the pyramids of Egypt. Their makers erected the two Ġgantija temples during the Neolithic, which makes these temples more than 5,500 years old and the world's second-oldest existing manmade religious structures after Göbekli Tepe in present-day Turkey. Together with other similar structures, these have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Megalithic Temples of Malta.
The temples are elements of a ceremonial site used in a fertility rite. Researchers have found that the numerous figurines and statues found on the site are associated with that cult. According to local Gozitan folklore, a giantess named Sansuna who ate nothing but fava beans and honey bore a child from a man of the common people. With the child hanging from her shoulder, she built these temples and used them as places of worship.