Watch Global Treasures PREHISTORIC MALTA

Malta's temples are older than the Egyptian pyramids. Indeed, the tiny Mediterranean island is a veritable archaeological treasure trove and its largest prehistoric temple site is situated in Tarxien. The remains of the religious sanctuary were discovered in 1914 when local farmers stumbled across some huge blocks of stone while ploughing their fields. Subsequent excavation of the site revealed several remarkable prehistoric finds such as fragments of pottery, stone images and a large number of urns. Carbon dating has established that the Tarxien temples date back to between 3,300 to 2,400 B.C. The temple area, and those of its rocks that have been partially decorated with geometrical forms, extend across an area of several hundred metres. The massive rocks raise the question of how those who brought them to this location were able to transport such heavy material here four thousand five hundred years ago.