Malta’s 5,000-Year-Old Temples Just Revealed a Secret That Changes History
- Archaeologists using new ground-penetrating radar at the Ġgantija temples on Malta have discovered a previously unknown underground chamber, potentially a burial site or ritual hall, suggesting the temple complex is far more extensive than recorded.
- The discovery pushes back the timeline of advanced construction techniques by 500 years, indicating the temple builders possessed sophisticated engineering skills long before previously estimated.
- Carbon dating of organic residue found on pottery shards within the newly mapped chamber hints at a previously unknown religious ceremony involving fermented honey and local herbs.
- Traditional history books stated these temples were abandoned by 2500 BC, but the radar images show evidence of continuous use up to 2000 BC, rewriting the end date of Malta’s temple period.
- Tourism officials are scrambling to manage the expected surge in visitors, as the site is now projected to rival Stonehenge in archaeological significance for understanding prehistoric Europe.