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| Tarxien phase | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tarxien phase |
| Period | Late Neolithic |
| Location | Malta |
| Dates | c. 3150–2500 BCE |
| Major sites | Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien (archaeological site), Skorba, Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum |
| Preceded by | Għar Dalam phase |
| Followed by | Bronze Age Malta |
Tarxien phase The Tarxien phase is a Late Neolithic cultural phase on Malta characterized by monumental megalithic construction, finely worked stone sculpture, and intensive ritual activity. Archaeological investigations link its material signature to a dense network of Mediterranean contacts and local sociopolitical elaboration before the onset of the Bronze Age Malta. Major temple complexes and stratified deposits provide the primary basis for chronological and cultural reconstructions.
The Tarxien phase is dated to c. 3150–2500 BCE and is placed within Malta’s sequence following the Żebbuġ phase and preceding the cultural transformations leading to the Bronze Age Malta. Key chronological markers include thick midden accumulations, advanced megalithic architecture, and distinctive sculptural styles identified at sites such as Tarxien (archaeological site), Ħaġar Qim, and Mnajdra. Radiocarbon analyses and stratigraphic correlations undertaken by teams from institutions like the Society of Antiquaries of London and the National Museum of Archaeology, Malta anchor the phase within late fourth to third millennium BCE Mediterranean developments. Comparative typologies relate Tarxien pottery and lithic production to sequences recognized in Sicily, Sardinia, and the wider Central Mediterranean.
Prominent Tarxien-phase remains include the multi-temple complex at Tarxien (archaeological site), the hilltop sanctuaries of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra, and various chambered contexts associated with the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum. Other notable loci are the skerries and coastal installations near Għajn Tuffieħa and settlement traces at Skorba and Mġarr. Excavations have revealed orthostatic facades, decorated trilithons, and complex forecourts similar in form to examples recorded by investigators from the Royal Society and the British Museum. Conservation projects and UNESCO designation of some sites have drawn collaborations involving the World Monuments Fund and the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
Tarxien-phase assemblages yield elaborate stone statuary, decorated orthostats, and finely made pottery including globular jars and decorated bowls comparable to artifacts cataloged in the Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi and the National Museum of Archaeology, Malta. Sculptural repertoires emphasize stylized anthropomorphic figures and spiral motifs observed also in collections at the British Museum and the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden. Lithic industries show polished stone tools, flaked blades, and ad hoc obsidian imports traceable to trade networks studied by scholars at University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. Organic remains — botanical and faunal — recovered by teams from University of Malta inform on diet and craft production.
Interpretations of Tarxien-phase social complexity draw on evidence for specialized craft production, coordinated labor for temple construction, and redistribution inferred from concentration of exotic raw materials such as obsidian and imported ceramics noted in comparative inventories at Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Cagliari and Palazzo Falson Historic House Museum. Settlement patterns suggest nucleated communities with ritual cores, paralleling models developed by researchers at The British School at Rome and Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Agricultural indicators, including cereal impressions and domesticated caprine remains analyzed by teams from University College Dublin and University of Sheffield, point to mixed farming economies underpinning surplus generation and monumentality.
Religious life during the Tarxien phase is reconstructed from temple architecture, cultic paraphernalia, and interment contexts within sites such as Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum and rock-cut tombs comparable to Mediterranean mortuary features documented by the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut. Iconography includes corpulent figurines, spiral ornamentation, and symbolic motifs paralleled in assemblages housed at the Louvre and the National Archaeological Museum, Naples. Evidence for ritual deposition, structured feasting deposits, and possible votive offerings has been interpreted by specialists affiliated with the University of Calabria and the University of Pisa.
Tarxien-phase material culture demonstrates links with contemporaneous communities across the Central Mediterranean, including Sicily, Sardinia, and the Aeolian Islands, through obsidian circulation, pottery styles, and architectural analogies cited in comparative studies published by the Council for British Research in the Levant and the European Association of Archaeologists. Reciprocal influences are also proposed with Aegean and North African contacts as argued in syntheses produced by scholars at University of Barcelona and the University of Aix-Marseille. These connections inform debates on insular interaction, mobility, and the transmission of religious and technological practices.
Systematic excavation at Tarxien-phase sites began in the 19th and early 20th centuries with figures associated with the Antiquaries of Malta and investigators whose work entered collections of the National Museum of Archaeology, Malta and the British Museum. Key field directors and conservators from institutions such as the University of Malta, the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (Malta) have refined stratigraphies and chronological frameworks. Current research emphasizes high-resolution radiocarbon dating, geoarchaeological sediment analysis by teams at University College London, and biomolecular approaches led by laboratories at Università degli Studi di Catania. Ongoing debates focus on social stratification, chronology, and the processes leading to post-Tarxien transformations.
Category:Prehistoric Malta