The oldest architecture in the world, predating the pyramids of ancient Egypt by some 1000 years, is found on the Maltese Islands. The mysterious people who built these wonderful megalithic temples treated their women as goddesses and built a lasting tribute to honour their First Lady - the Earth Goddess. Women from all walks of life and from different countries are today coming in ever increasing numbers on a nostalgic pilgrimage to Malta, to rediscover that happy age when women were at the centre of life and when male chauvinists were still science fiction. |
During the late Stone Age, the Neolithic, Maltese women did not need pull their men’s strings discreetly to get their own way. At the time, men were extremely thankful to their ladies who had changed their precarious existence based on food gathering and hunting, to a cushier lifestyle dependent on agriculture. Women also provided their communities with a secure insurance policy, the Earth Goddess, who for thousands of years ensured prosperity. Neolithic men were lucky enough to lead sheltered lives, snug between their ladies’ bosoms, and judging from the statues unearthed on the temple sites, the Neolithic cleavage could host a handful of anxious, shelter-seeking men. Unlike today’s anorexic models, Neolithic beauties were plump and sported colossal breasts and thighs. It was a joyful time for women fond of chewing – by putting up a couple of extra folds on your girdle you became a beauty.
The Neolithic sites of the Maltese Islands are numerous but a visit to a handful of the best-preserved temples will put you in the picture. Ġgantija, an impressive double temple on the small island of Gozo, is the navel of Earth Goddess worship. It has been dated to around 3500BC and its name means ‘giant’ with a female connotation; a name justified by the sheer size of the limestone blocks from which it was built. Neolithic men went into an incredible lot of trouble to carry those massive stones. It is still a mystery how they managed to get those multi-ton blocks in place, a feat which even today would prove very difficult. In some stretches, the walls still stand an impressive seven metres high. A Gozitan folk tale tells of a giantess who carried the stones which were used in building Ġgantija. If those women possessed such strength, one wonders why their men treated them which such regard!
The Neolithic sites of the Maltese Islands are numerous but a visit to a handful of the best-preserved temples will put you in the picture. Ġgantija, an impressive double temple on the small island of Gozo, is the navel of Earth Goddess worship. It has been dated to around 3500BC and its name means ‘giant’ with a female connotation; a name justified by the sheer size of the limestone blocks from which it was built. Neolithic men went into an incredible lot of trouble to carry those massive stones. It is still a mystery how they managed to get those multi-ton blocks in place, a feat which even today would prove very difficult. In some stretches, the walls still stand an impressive seven metres high. A Gozitan folk tale tells of a giantess who carried the stones which were used in building Ġgantija. If those women possessed such strength, one wonders why their men treated them which such regard!
Visiting the Maltese village of Qrendi, on the western seaboard of the island, you can kill two birds with one stone. The Neolithic temples of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra were built within a stone’s throw of each other. Ħaġar Qim stands imposingly on a hilltop that ends in sheer cliff, overlooking the azure Mediterranean Sea. It has been battered by millennia of seaspray-laden winds so today it is covered with a canopy. Its façade, made of tight-fitting rectangular blocks, is impressive. Going through the solid doorway was meant to feel like entering the vagina of the Earth Goddess. Vaginas were an obsession of Neolithic people, who had them carved on all items imaginable. The temple itself was regarded as a big womb in which people could enter to seek renewal. Modern female visitors are often seen shoving grumpy, reluctant partners through that doorway in the hope that they might emerge as cheerful chaps. Here at Ħaġar Qim, the Venus of Malta, Neolithic’s top model, was unearthed. She is a stone-carved lady with plump curves who is supporting her breasts over her arm in a ‘look-at-these-treasures’ kind of posture. |
Following the path down the hill amidst typical Maltese rocky terrain, you will reach the dramatic temple of Mnajdra. Tucked in the hollow of a cliff face, it is totally cut off from the modern world. Early in the morning, as the first rays of the rising sun hit the massive stones, the limestone façade becomes alive with a magical, golden glow. Its curving plan was meant to celebrated fertility and prosperity. Statues of nude Fat Ladies were also found here, carved into a sitting posture with their bulky buttocks planted firmly on the ground. The women of the time were very ‘down to earth’!
Against the primeval atmosphere of Mnajdra, heading to the hectic commercial town of Paola will feel like a fast-forward leap through the ages. Yet, hidden beneath some very unassuming townhouses is a monument that has stunned the world – the hypogeum. Going back to around 4000BC, this mysterious underground complex was hewn out of rock to celebrate the return of the departed to the Earth Goddess. The bones of around 7000 people accompanied by their personal ornaments were laid here. The fantastic red spiral decor is often attributed to feminine taste. If men had had their way, they would certainly have drawn themselves carving up some hapless animal intended for barbecue, argue feminists. The oracle room was used for religious ceremonies and here you can still see the hole that creates powerful echo when someone speaks through it. Strangely, it only works for male voices. Gossip has it that when Margaret Thatcher visited the hypogeum she was persuaded to speak through the hole. Her entourage let loose a long sigh of relief when no booming reverberation followed. At last the world had sound proof that the British Prime Minister was really a lady, albeit an iron one!
Against the primeval atmosphere of Mnajdra, heading to the hectic commercial town of Paola will feel like a fast-forward leap through the ages. Yet, hidden beneath some very unassuming townhouses is a monument that has stunned the world – the hypogeum. Going back to around 4000BC, this mysterious underground complex was hewn out of rock to celebrate the return of the departed to the Earth Goddess. The bones of around 7000 people accompanied by their personal ornaments were laid here. The fantastic red spiral decor is often attributed to feminine taste. If men had had their way, they would certainly have drawn themselves carving up some hapless animal intended for barbecue, argue feminists. The oracle room was used for religious ceremonies and here you can still see the hole that creates powerful echo when someone speaks through it. Strangely, it only works for male voices. Gossip has it that when Margaret Thatcher visited the hypogeum she was persuaded to speak through the hole. Her entourage let loose a long sigh of relief when no booming reverberation followed. At last the world had sound proof that the British Prime Minister was really a lady, albeit an iron one!
The Tarxien temple complex, a flint’s throw from the hypogeum, represents the zenith of temple building, though its atmsophere has been marred by the surrounding housing. Here stones have been lavishly decorated with spiral and animal motifs. Of particular interest is Neolithic pottery. Whereas lipstick, high heels and the credit card are a modern lady’s credentials, the pot, house and temple were their Neolithic equivalents. The cooking pot was an indispensable item for Stone Age women; a necessary item to set up house, and they used to decorate it with great pride. Moulding pottery was a female speciality, and they must have been extremely alluring while squeezing the soggy clay with their capable fingers. Just remember the steamy pottery scene of the ‘Ghost’ movie and how Patrick Swayze was mesmerised by Demi Moore. Six thousands years ago, women were experts at kneading clay (and men) to a desired shape.
One of the most striking finds at Tarxien Temples is a massive statue of the Earth Goddess of which only the lower half survives but which must have been close to three metres tall. It symbolises the authority of the female priestesses. Ironically, the statue was probably a vain attempt at maintaining the loyalty of the people towards the Earth Goddess around 2500BC, when overpopulation and environmental degradation caused a great crisis that finally led to the disappearance of the temple people. It was at this time that male phalli made their first timid attempts to peep from under the vast shadow of the Earth Goddess, in the form of stone carvings. Men had a go at fixing things with their stone phalli where the vagina had failed.
Apart from their awesome architecture, Malta’s worshippers of the Earth Goddess were one of the very few civilisations which forbade men from playing with their favourite toys – weapons! Gone are those blissful, prosperous times when women, giants in status if not in stature, ran things smoothly to live in perfect harmony with their obliging men. It is extraordinary that the prehistoric temples of Malta have survived at all through so many stormy millennia to tell us their tale. But you know how the saying goes, women will always have the last word!
Apart from their awesome architecture, Malta’s worshippers of the Earth Goddess were one of the very few civilisations which forbade men from playing with their favourite toys – weapons! Gone are those blissful, prosperous times when women, giants in status if not in stature, ran things smoothly to live in perfect harmony with their obliging men. It is extraordinary that the prehistoric temples of Malta have survived at all through so many stormy millennia to tell us their tale. But you know how the saying goes, women will always have the last word!