Any visitor walking in Neolithic Malta’s landscape or approaching its shores by seacraft would have been awed upon first sighting the height and grandeur of the Islands’ megalithic structures from a distance.
These free-standing structures, amongst the earliest of their kind in the world but with a unique architectural formula unparalleled elsewhere on the planet, would have impressed anyone with their monumentality. Today, although covered by protective shelters to shield them from the corrosive damage of the elements, Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra continue to astound modern-day visitors with their massive megaliths and the ingenuity, engineering and technical expertise that would have been needed to construct them, especially considering the rudimentary tools at their disposal. Given the absence of a written record in prehistory, these mysterious UNESCO-listed megalithic structures leave many questions unanswered. Who were these people, and what were their beliefs? How were these complexes erected, and what were they used for? All we have to go by is the archaeological evidence of the structures themselves and the artefacts excavated on these sites. The rest is guesswork.
One of the burning questions many visitors, historians and archaeologists have asked throughout the ages is, “Were they roofed”? After all, if they were originally covered, this would have added to their height and grandeur, towering over other dwellings or structures in the vicinity. Fortunately, this is one enigma the archaeological evidence may attempt to answer.
In fact, the particular item Elaine Farrugia, Coordinator Curatorial Support for Prehistoric Sites, has chosen as her favourite feature within the national collection for Heritage Malta’s HM TV series ‘Treasure To Meet You’ provides insight into the conundrum.
A nearly 6000-year-old graffito, only circa twenty-five cm in width, chiselled into the soft limestone in the central building at Mnajdra is easy to miss, even though it is located near the main passage. Visitors often pass by it without realising that this graffito, the only one found in situ, provides a glimpse of what Mnajdra and other complexes might have looked like when roofed.
In Elaine’s words, the graffito “Evokes the craftsmanship and artistic abilities of the Neolithic community. The fact that it was made without the use of metals, as only stone (including chert, flint and obsidian) tools or animal bones were used, makes one appreciate the difficulty of chiselling it much more.”
The graffito, with its three courses of horizontal slabs over the doorway lintel and two niches on either side, is not the only evidence we have that indicates that these megalithic structures might indeed have been roofed. A tiny limestone model of a roofed Neolithic building, similar in appearance to the Mnajdra graffito, was discovered at Ta’ Ħaġrat Megalithic Site in 1923. The model, which can be viewed at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta, shows a trilithon entrance and walls formed of slabs. Above these are one or two courses of horizontally laid slabs projecting inwards. The roof is apparently composed of seven horizontal slabs.
Fragments from a limestone carving from a façade in Ħal Tarxien Prehistoric Complex feature this corbelling effect too, something which can also be seen in the use of ‘kileb’ in Maltese and Gozitan vernacular architecture over time.
Another unlikely source of information may also corroborate the hypothesis that the monuments had corbelled roofs. Two chambers within the subterranean necropolis of Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, pictured as a reverse image of these structures, can provide a clear idea of what Mnajdra might have originally looked like embellished and covered.
A study conducted in 2017 used 3D analysis to show that these structures could once have been roofed over. According to the study, ‘A LiDAR model of the carved chambers of the Hypogeum of Ħal Saflieni was superimposed onto corresponding positions in the photogrammetry models of Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim. Merging the LiDAR imagery onto models of Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim confirmed structural consistency between the two megalithic complexes; supporting the theory that the carved façades were a deliberate reflection of the original architecture of the Maltese’ Neolithic complexes (Robinson et al., 2019:1).
There may be enough evidence to conclude that these megalithic masterpieces were at least if not totally, then partially shielded from the brunt of extreme weather conditions. However, as Elaine mentions, “This graffito also creates curiosity as to when it was chiselled.” Was it done when the site was built? To commemorate a special part of its construction? Was it a foreman’s design for builders to follow? Was it left as a clue for future generations when parts of the roof had already tumbled? Or was it a graffito etched by a bored teenager? “We can never know for sure,” Elaine concludes. Some riddles might just have to remain unsolved until future excavations throw us a curveball.
Watch the feature here in English or Maltese:
Find out more about Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim here: https://heritagemalta.mt/explore/hagar-qim-mnajdra-temples/
Buy a ticket to see the graffito up close here: https://heritagemalta.mt/store/c13/
‘Treasure to Meet You’ is uploaded to Heritage Malta’s Facebook page every fortnight on a Tuesday at 19:00. The intimate series consists of short features in both English and Maltese versions. Each fortnight, viewers get to meet one of our dedicated curators, who were asked to select an artefact or feature from the national collection to which they are particularly attached
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