Tarxien, Xagħra Circle and Tas-Silġ. Occupation and Reuse of Temple
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TARXIEN, XAGHRA CIRCLE AND TAS-SILG. OCCUPATION AND RE USE OF TEMPLE SITES IN THE EARLY BRONZE AGE Anthony Bonanno were being 'excavated' in the early 1820s Introduction (Brochtorff 1849). One of these This paper was originally inspired by the watercolours shows a circular wall of apparent striking similarity in the megaliths circumscribing a field with a stratigraphic sequence of two outstanding huge gaping hole freshly dug up in its prehistoric archaeological sites discovered centre. Inside the hole stand huge trilithic and excavated at an interval of almost structures typical of the Maltese Temple eighty years: the Tarxien Temples, architecture, while a man is seen coming excavated by Themistocles Zammit in the out from inside a cave carrying a human years 1915-1919 (Zammit 1930), and the skull in his left hand. The as yet Xaghra Circle, investigated by an Anglo unexcavated Circle had already been Maltese research team on the sister island depicted in one of the lithographs drawn of Gozo between 1987 and 1994 (Bonanno by the French visitor Jean Houel to et al. 1990; Stoddart et al. 1993; Malone et illustrate his monumental work the al. 1993). Interest in this parallelism was Voyage Pittoresque des Iles de Sicile, de heightened by even more recent Malte e de Lipari (1787). developments in the investigation of a sector of the site of Tas-Silg conducted by A comparison between the state of the Department of Classics and preservation of the prehistoric monument Archaeology of the University of Malta as it appeared in 1787 and 1827 and the (Frendo & Bonanno 1997). The present one, shows clearly that it has relationship between the two major since then been stripped of all but three of horizons identified at Tarxien, the standing megaliths that originally representing two subsequent periods and formed an almost perfectly circular cultures of Maltese prehistory, and its boundary wall. One of the megaliths has parallel occurrence at the Xaghra Circle been incorporated in the wall of a (now emerging also at Tas-Silg), call for a farmhouse built at the edge of the site, re-examination of the chronological while two others mark the circle on the context of a handful of objects recovered opposite end. A modern dry stone field from Tarxien. Their new dating is wall has replaced the original megaliths suggested in the light of the chronological and the circular shape of the field stands upheavals and new patterns of cultural out clearly from the predominantly diffusion (or non-diffusion) in European rectilinear layout of the surrounding and Mediterranean prehistory brought fields, both in the aerial photographs and about by the radiocarbon and in the 1:2500 Survey Maps. There was, dendrochronology revolution (Renfrew therefore, very little doubt that this odd 1972, 1973). topographical feature was the same one illustrated by Houel and Brochtorff. The Xaghra Circle Attention to the site and to its probable The Xaghra Circle is situated on the identification with the circle illustrated in outskirts of the village of Xaghra in Gozo, Houel and Brochtorff had already been the smaller of the two major islands of the attracted by Mr Joseph Attard Tabone of Maltese archipelago. It lies approximately 300m to the west of the much better Xaghra, but it was in the aftermath of the conference on Archaeology and Fertility known Ggantija Temples. It is currently Cult in the Ancient Mediterranean held at better known as the 'Brochtorff Circle,' the University of Malta in September because it figures in two of a series of 1985 that, mostly at the insistence of Mr watercolours painted by Charles de Attard Tabone, a joint exploratory mission Brochtorff while the Ggantija Temples Facets of Maltese Prehistory was set up between the University of The major difference is that, whereas at Cambridge, the University of Malta and Tarxien a ruined temple structure was the Museums Department of Malta, with turned into a cremation cemetery, thus the express purpose of investigating this protracting the sacrality of the structure, site and possibly others. Scientific at the Xaghra Circle the collective excavations have been undertaken inhumation cemetery of the Temple regularly on the site every summer Period was turned into something between 1987 and 1994, with very completely different. rewarding results. The identification of the field with the circle illustrated by The Tarxien Cemetery presence at the Brochtorff was confirmed in a concrete Xaghra Circle consists mainly of an way and the enormous hole dug in it in archaeological layer covering a good part the early 1820s, now labelled 'Bayer Pit' of the whole area but mostly concentrated after the lieutenant governor of Gozo who towards the east side and containing a had ordered its 'excavation', was re reasonable amount of typical Tarxien excavated and isolated from the Cemetery pottery, including three remaining uncontaminated levels. fragments of characteristic discoid figurines like the ones found at Tarxien, In direct contrast to the Ggantija temples as well as a thick layer of dark grey, a short distance away, but probably powdery material concentrated in a complementing them for the religious limited area in the north part of the needs of their builders, the Circle had an Circle. In the first instance the layer exclusively funerary purpose. It consisted seemed to fit with the description given by of a series of spacious natural Zammit of the ashy Tarxien Cemetery underground caves and man-made rock layer he identified at Tarxien (1930); but, cut tombs, surrounded at some stage by a whereas at Tarxien that layer was circle of upright megaliths with a characterised by scores of cinerary urns monumental entrance facing the Ggantija containing cremated human remains temples to the east (Bonanno et al. 1990: mixed with loose components of personal 193-5). The roofs of most of the caves had ornaments, like necklaces, and a few collapsed in antiquity and had to be terracotta figurines, the corresponding removed to permit proper and safe layer at the Xaghra Circle contained only excavation of an extensive area of the a few loose fragments of bone and a underground cemetery; the rest of the scatter of equally fragmentary Tarxien caves were considered too fragile to Cemetery pottery. The bone turned out to warrant an extension of the excavation at be animal, the result of domestic refuse this stage. A couple of smaller rock-cut since the grey layer, after a microscopic tombs served by a common access shaft examination, has been identified to be a showed that the site was being used for silty clay derived from the Blue Clay collective burial already in the Zebbug geological formation, possibly imported to phase (4000-3800 BC), the first phase of the site as waterproofing material (pers. the Temple Period (4000-2500 BC) comm. Chris 0. Hunt). (Malone et al. 1995). A number of 'bone pits' were also investigated, containing The Tas-Silg Sanctuary deposits of human bones, many covered Before 1963 Tas-Silg consisted of a with red ochre, and belonging to the last number of small fields forming the crest of phase of the Temple Period, namely a prominent hill, separated by the Zejtun Tarxien (3000- 2500 BC) (Stoddart et al. Delimara road and overlooking the small 1993). church of Our Lady of the Snows (Madonna Tas-Silg) and the bay of What interests us for the purpose of the Marsaxlokk. It was one of three sites present discussion is the fact that this selected for intensive, and extensive, enclosed area was also made use of by the excavation by the Missione Italiana from Tarxien Cemetery people of the following the University of Rome, which was mainly period (2500-1500 BC), thus providing an intended to explore the then still virgin important parallel to a similar re territory of the Phoenician-Punic period of utilisation of the Tarxien Temples by the the Maltese islands. Excavation earliest Bronze Age inhabitants of Malta. 210 Tarxien, Xaghra Circle and Tas-Silg. Occupation and Re-use of Temple-sites in the Early Bronze Age campaigns were conducted annually from the summer of 1996. These excavations 1963 to 1970, followed punctually by are limited to the unexcavated areas in detailed and lavishly illustrated the section of the site to the south of the preliminary reports (Missione 1964-73). Zejtun-Delimara road, just outside the One of the unexpected but not structures of the sanctuary itself. They ungratifying - discoveries of the very first are intended to supplement and excavation campaigns was the presence of complement the corpus of knowledge the remains of a Tarxien phase megalithic already acquired from the old excavations, temple which seems to have formed the by new data of a stratigraphic and first religious nucleus on which a scientific nature. Two finds have been Phoenician temple was modelled (Ciasca made in the summer campaign of 1998 1976-77) and which eventually expanded which finally break the silence and into a full-scale sanctuary in Hellenistic provide evidence for a Tarxien Cemetery and Roman times (Missione 1964-73: phase, opening up new hopes for a better passim). understanding of the unfolding of the history of this important site.2 The excavations at Tas-Silg revealed ample evidence for a late Bronze Age (that The first is a fragment of a Tarxien is, Borg in-Nadur and Bahrija phases) re Cemetery pot discovered in Stratigraphic occupation of the site. What was not Unit 220 in Area A. The latter consists of identified was the nature of this re a trench which is currently in the process occupation, most importantly, whether it of being excavated on the west side of the was a· religious complex - which would artificial platform which was raised in have given confirmation to the perceived order to support the sanctuary structure continuity of the religious function of the on the south side, overlooking the steep site - or whether it was merely a village slope towards the Marsaxlokk Harbour.