Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex
Late Neolithic Temple Period (3600-2500 BCE)·Temple Period·🇲🇹 Malta, Tarxien, Malta
About
About Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex
Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex in Malta, Tarxien, 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 chamber 9 × 3 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 35.8690N 14.5210E controls access to Malta, Tarxien 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, Tarxien, 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
- 01Tribal capital and ritual aggregation
- 02Seasonal gathering locus
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. 3000 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic Temple Period (3600-2500 BCE)
- Culture
- Temple Period
- Purpose
- Ceremonial centre and pilgrimage focus with stratified deposits
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3000 BCE
Initial construction of Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex main structure
c. 966 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex
1964–2013
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
35.8690° N · 14.5210° E · 7 m · 3 mapped features
Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex — Main Temple-Complex Feature
necropolisPrimary necropolis at Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits
35.8694° N · 14.5228° ETarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex — Secondary Enclosure
templeAncillary temple at Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex — burial gallery with stratified deposits
35.8674° N · 14.5227° ETarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex — Outlier Rock Art Panel
chamberOutlier chamber panel linked to Tarxien Central Temple Outlier Court — Northern Annex ceremonial landscape
35.8686° N · 14.5199° E