Gozo Malta Ggantija Temples

Twin megalithic structures found on Gozo, the second largest Maltese island, called the Ggantija Temples, with a creation date of around 3,000 to 3,600 BCE. Both temples were dedicated to the goddess of new life with a legend describing a giant named Sunsuna who built the temple walls in one day and one night while caring for her baby.

Several very large stone blocks used in the construction demonstrate ancient engineering marvel. Many doorway slabs feature round holes similar to the offering holes found in the floors. While these holes have been interpreted as places for offerings, it is entirely possible for the isolated rooms to have served a different purpose; such as for passing food to detained inhabitants.

Numerous stone spheres have been found around the twin temple site along with indications suggesting the spheres may have been involved in moving megalithic rock into place. Proper leverage and round stones to act as a fulcrum is a plausible method for moving large rocks without hoisting the entire weight. Symbolic to the miracle of life, the twin Gozo temples are a great example of a mysterious megalithic construction that our ancestors have utilized oral tradition in order to understand their importance and pass knowledge along verbally instead of through written language.

It is possible the twin temple complex existed before the Malta discovered them, giving a potential reason why their construction was said to happen in one day. Or, perhaps along with the goddess of new life story, clues in the construction of the temples themselves may point us in a direction to understand their purpose.

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