Note: The Ta' Hagrat floorplan is based on Evans' 1971 plans, and represents the end result of several stages (and several centuries) of construction.
Pre-Temple Period (5500-4500 BC)
Gozo and Malta were first colonized about 5500 BC, most likely by people from the Neolithic Stentinello culture from Sicily, the nearest landmass. The pre-temple economy was based on subsistence horticulture of wheat, barley and pulses, herding sheep, goats, cattle and pigs. The original settlements on Malta and Gozo were small clusters of huts built of wattle and daub. At this point, Gozo and Malta shared symbols and institutions with Sicily and southern Italy, suggesting an on-going trade contact. Stone axes and obsidian were traded to the islands.
Pre-temple burial customs included placement in natural caves and rock-cut tombs with little evidence for social hierarchy.
Skorba Phase (4500-4100 BC)
During the Skorba Phase on Malta and Gozo, the population increased on the islands, marked by the construction of increasingly larger villages of wattle and daub construction. The cultural connections with Italy, Sicily and the rest of the central Mediterranean continued, and a consolidation of agricultural production led to the beginnings of social stratification.
Communal (ritual) structures were first built during the Skorba Phase, but they were small and of general purpose.
Zebbug Phase (4100-3800 BC)
The Zebbug Phase brought new, distinct pottery styles, still similar to those made on Sicily; at the same time, a completely new art style not seen on the mainland is evident in pendants and statuary on Malta. Strong links to the central Mediterranean are still intact, evidenced by the presence of obsidian and other goods that had to have come from Sicily and other Mediterranean islands. Communal tombs were in use by the Zebbug Phase, suggesting that large family groups had a place in the society.
The Zebbug Phase saw a shift from small, general-purpose ritual structures to special purpose buildings. These buildings are oval rooms with two or three lobes; these small buildings were to be added on later, becoming the massive temples seen today. The construction of these buildings probably signals the formation of the first strong social hierarchies on Malta and Gozo. The building of the architecture, whether the result of voluntary labor or not, implies a coordination of efforts. The architecture itself, with restricted interior rooms and blocked lines of site into the temples, implies the beginnings of the segregation between ritual participants and audiences.
Sources
See the Malta Temples bibliography for more information.
