Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace
Late Neolithic Temple Period (3600-2500 BCE)·Temple Period·🇲🇹 Malta, Qrendi, Malta
About
About Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace
Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace 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 citadel 11 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 35.8346N 14.4343E 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
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
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
- Excavated
c. 3300 BCE
Initial construction of Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace main structure
c. 871 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace
1971–2013
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
35.8346° N · 14.4343° E · 45 m · 3 mapped features
Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace — Main Temple-Complex Feature
rock artPrimary rock art at Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
35.8357° N · 14.4341° EMnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace — Secondary Enclosure
hydraulicAncillary hydraulic at Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits
35.8344° N · 14.4337° EMnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panel
necropolisOutlier necropolis panel linked to Mnajdra South Temple Terrace Annex — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape
35.8360° N · 14.4359° E