Chambers at Large in Malta and Gozo (1)
- Amelia Chambers
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo have been on my Bucket List for some time, mainly because of their history. I finally made the decision to go when I found a historical tour via Mercury Holidays, which proved to be most interesting.
Having been to the cradle of civilisation in Africa I was fascinated by the archaeological remains of the Neolithic period that can be discovered on both islands. There are several temples dating back to before the pyramids, but built nearer the time of Newgrange in Ireland, which I visited a few years ago. The similarities are remarkable and my visit to the Ggantija Temples on Gozo revealed similar altar stones and rounded walls
I also visited the temples of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra in the south of Malta which are covered by large tarpaulins as the weather is eroding the sandstone from which most of the buildings on the island are constructed. Situated high up on the island I noted similarities to Stonehenge with large standing stones making up the outside of the temple walls, but again like Newgrange as the ceiling was likely to have been corbelled. Altar stones are more noticeable than in Ggantija and the rooms are rounder.
Why the Neolithic people did not remain on Malta or Gozo is still under debate: a pandemic, famine, drought or because the grass looked a little greener in nearby Sicily are all reasonable reasons. However, it is widely believed that the Neolithic people were a matriarchal society, and it is possible invaders simply wiped out the agrarian islanders, women not having an innate tendency to be warriors and therefore would not be equipped to fight back.
The archaeological discovery of small rotund figures that were thought to be of women, but latterly are seen as androgenous, support the matriarchal theory to an extent.
In Valletta, the capital city of Malta, I visited the Archaeological Museum where there are several stones on which are carved spirals, similar to those seen at Newgrange. Others are indented with holes, which are possibly a representation of the stars, but could be an early form of census: the number of people within the Neolithic population. Again the verdict is still open.
The museum also taught me a great deal about the Phoenicians, a seafaring people, who explored the Mediterranean in the same way the Vikings explored the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. There are similarities there too. Much of their history is still beneath the sea, but beautiful decorative urns have been rescued, suggesting they traded in oils, wines, and other goods.
Moving on to Roman times I visited St Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat, a reminder of the persecution of the Christians. St Paul visited Malta, which is mentioned in The Bible and the catacombs are named after him.
Tales from the Bible feature strongly in one of the most stunning churches of the nineteenth century: the Mosta Basilica It has the fourth largest dome in the world and was bombed in the Second World War. Miraculously the bomb did not detonate when it hit the dome, nor when it hit the floor.
The dome is stunning thanks to the delicate artwork and the murals. The upper pictures depict scenes from the New Testament, the lower ones featuring persons from the Old. Statues of the apostles are outside, but a beautiful sculpture of the Baptism of Christ is within near a statue of the Virgin Mary, dressed all in white, not in blue. A replica of the bomb which damaged the dome is also on display.
Malta is mainly Catholic and there are numerous reminders outside houses with either paintings of the Virgin Mary, or of Christ or sculptures of saints sitting in niches in the walls. History is ubiquitous on these small islands and the architecture is a joy to behold. In my next blog I will consider move on a little in history considering those who have succeeded and failed in invading the islands.
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I mention Newgrange a couple of times and it is one of the most historic areas in Ireland. To discover more please click on the link
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