MALTA : THE HALTING PLACE OE NATIONS 



469 



in high relief in the "bull sanctuary" of 

 the latest and most wonderful discovery 

 of all, the Stone Age Temple of Tarxien. 



A CEMETERY FOR CRIMINALS EEADS TO AN 

 ASTOUNDING DISCOVERY 



Tarxien is a continuation of the village 

 of Casal Paula, where the hypogeum of 

 Hal Saflieni is situated. It owes its dis- 

 covery to the following circumstances : 



A few years ago it was necessary to 

 find a new burial place for criminals, and 

 a site was selected on the plateau over- 

 looking the dockyard from the southeast. 

 While digging the foundations for the 

 cemetery chapel the earth was found to 

 have been artificially deposited, as it con- 

 tained blocks of hand-wrought masonry. 

 The workmen, talking among themselves, 

 elicited the fact that in the adjoining field 

 large blocks of stones had also been 

 struck a few feet below the level of the 

 soil. 



As the work of excavating the hypo- 

 geum in the village was still fresh in their 

 minds, the laborers thought possibly a 

 similar structure might exist here. 



The facts were reported in 19 13 to 

 Prof. T. Zammit, C. M. G., who had 

 supervised the final excavation of the 

 hypogeum. In July, 191 5, he caused the 

 blocks to be cleared of soil. They were 

 found to be the tops of the walls of a 

 prehistoric temple of the same shape as 

 those of Gigantia, in Gozo, and Hagar 

 Kim and Mnaidra, in Malta. 



WAR EAIES TO STOP RESEARCH 



The work of excavation was carried 

 out during the hottest months of 191 5 

 and 19 1 6, when the soil was driest, so 

 that it could be carefully sifted to pre- 

 vent the loss of the smallest objects 

 which might be of interest. 



Here, despite the tropical sun, a small 

 band of students, among whom was the 

 writer of this article, labored under the 

 able and genial guidance of Professor 

 Zammit. 



The drain of war expense on the funds 

 of the Malta civil government permitted 

 only a very small expenditure of money 

 on this work during 1917 and 1918, but 

 it was sufficient to show that the temple 

 and its precincts extended beyond its 

 present known limits and where secrets 



unknown as yet to the world may still lie 

 hidden. 



The examination of the upper layers of 

 earth over the site of the temple brought 

 to light quantities of Roman and Punic 

 pottery, practically all in fragments. 



A lower layer revealed a new type of 

 pottery, among which were found small 

 heaps of burnt human bones. Beads, 

 necklaces, clay objects representing birds, 

 fishes, &c, small figures, bone ornaments, 

 and a bronze dagger were found in this 

 same layer. The dagger gave the clue to 

 the mystery — a Bronze Age depository 

 of funeral urns had been found. 



This was very valuable, from the light 

 it shed on the life and customs of the 

 Mediterranean Bronze Age people, who 

 probably flourished about 2000 or 3000 

 B. C. 



Inside the cinerary urns were also 

 found foods — wheat, beans, etc. — for the 

 journey in the next world, as well as 

 small objects and ornaments which had 

 been very dear to the departed in their 

 lifetime. 



Doubtless the Bronze Age dwellers in 

 Malta had heard the tradition that the 

 tall stones standing, abandoned, deserted, 

 and overgrown with weeds, had once 

 been a sacred place, while in any case 

 such high walls as were still standing 

 formed a good shelter for their funeral 

 fires. Hence the Bronze Age cemetery 

 on this spot. 



The Bronze Age layer was strongly 

 marked with charcoal and ashes. Below 

 this came several feet of fine sand, con- 

 taining no stones or broken fragments of 

 rock and no traces of any Bronze Age 

 pottery or metal, clearly showing that 

 this layer had been deposited by centu- 

 ries of wind and rain, untouched by the 

 hand of man. 



All these layers were removed by the 

 excavators with careful and reverent 

 hands, as was due those far-off and for- 

 gotten worshipers of the Unknown God. 

 Finally the floor of the temple was 

 reached and cleared as perfectly as pos- 

 sible. 



A TOUR OF THE TEMPEE 



The length of the buildings from end 

 to end is about 50 yards, while the level 

 of the temple floor is about 7 feet below 

 that of the field. 



