Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier
Late Neolithic Temple Period (3600-2500 BCE)·Temple Period·🇲🇹 Malta, Qrendi, Malta
About
About Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier
Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier in Malta, Qrendi, Malta is a Late Neolithic Temple Period (3600-2500 BCE) temple complex attributed to Temple Period. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal enclosure 8 × 4 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 35.8144N 14.4228E controls access to Malta, Qrendi resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey temple-complex for Malta, Qrendi, illustrating Temple Period construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3300 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic Temple Period (3600-2500 BCE)
- Culture
- Temple Period
- Purpose
- Ceremonial centre and pilgrimage focus with stratified deposits
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 3300 BCE
Initial construction of Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier main structure
c. 730 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier
19th–20th century
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
35.8144° N · 14.4228° E · 52 m · 3 mapped features
- Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier — Main Temple-Complex FeatureenclosurePrimary enclosure at Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier — platform mound with stratified deposits35.8133° N · 14.4210° E
- Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier — Secondary Enclosurerock artAncillary rock art at Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits35.8144° N · 14.4242° E
- Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier — Outlier Rock Art PanelhydraulicOutlier hydraulic panel linked to Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Eastern Outlier ceremonial landscape35.8148° N · 14.4239° E