474 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



<*£*: 



A MYSTIC STONE PILLAR MARKING THE BEGINNING OE THE 

 INNER SANCTUARY OF THE TEMPLE AT TARXIEN 



On top of the pillar is a second stone on which is carved a circle 

 surrounded by pit-marks. Some students surmise that the circle 

 represents the sun and the pit-marks the stars (see text below). 



able fires, and turning our back on the 

 goddess, we see beautifully carved altar 

 tables and an altar, in front of which is a 

 small font decorated with pit-markings, 

 an ornamentation noticed in other pre- 

 historic temples. 



Apparently this font had been painted 

 red with ocher, from which it might be 

 inferred that the ceremony of sprinkling 

 blood for cleansing from evil was carried 

 out even in those far-off days. 



Behind these pillars is a small side 

 chapel very beautifully decorated. One 

 slab contains a frieze of eleven goats, 



while another has 

 four goats, a fat pig, 

 and a horned ram or 

 buck. 



Looking again from 

 position C to G in the 

 plan, we see a large 

 carved stone table or 

 chest in front of an 

 altar or oracle place 

 of the dolmen type so 

 noticeable in all neo- 

 lithic temples. The 

 large altar stone is 

 hollow, with a detach- 

 able semicircular fit- 

 ting. _ 



Inside was found a 

 very fine curved flint 

 knife, as well as frag- 

 ments of beautifully 

 polished Stone Age 

 pottery. It might be 

 observed here that 

 possibly all votive ves- 

 sels were broken af- 

 ter the sacrifice, to 

 denote the completion 

 of the ceremony, as 

 practically none were 

 found complete. 



Proceeding through 

 position C to I, we 

 reach the principal 

 altar of the temple. 

 The curved fagade of 

 the floor- of the "chan- 

 cer' cannot but arouse 

 admiration for the 

 wonderful skill o f 

 those ancient workers, 

 whose only tool was a 

 flint. On the left corner of the carved 

 stone can be seen a round tie-hole. The 

 stone a little to its right and standing 

 back two yards from it marks the begin- 

 ning of the inner sanctuary, which con- 

 sists of a semicircular building with five 

 stone seats on each side of the altar. 

 These possibly were either for images or 

 for the officiating priests. 



On top of the stone at the left entrance 

 to the inner sanctuary is another lying 

 horizontally with a square end on which 

 is carved a circle surrounded by pit- 

 marks (see illustration on this page). 



