Ancient Ġgantija temples on the island of Gozo, Malta

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Ġgantija "Giants' Tower") is a Neolithic, megalithic temple complex on the Mediterranean island of Gozo. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of a series of megalithic temples in Malta. The Ġgantija temples are older than the pyramids of Egypt. Their makers erected the two Ġgantija temples during the Neolithic Age (c. 3600-2500 BC), which makes these temples more than 5500 years old and the world's second oldest manmade religious structures, after Göbekli Tepe. Together with other similar structures, these have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Megalithic Temples of Malta. The temples were possibly the site of a Fertility cult; archeologists believe that the numerous figurines and statues found on site are connected with that cult. According to local Gozitan folklore, a giantess who ate nothing but broad beans and honey bore a child from a man of the common people. With the child hanging from her shoulder, built these temples and used them as places of worship

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Size: 4752px × 3168px
Location: Malta
Photo credit: © Bob Jenkin / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ancient, archeology, blue, fertility, gozo, malta, ruins, skies, sky, temple, temples, tourism, tourist, xaghra, Ġgantija