| Maltese prehistoric chronology (Based on recalibrated radiocarbon dating) | ||
| Period | Phase | Dates BC c. |
|---|---|---|
| Neolithic (5000–4100 BC) |
Għar Dalam | 5000–4500 BC |
| Grey Skorba | 4500–4400 BC | |
| Red Skorba | 4400–4100 BC | |
| Temple Period (4100–2500 BC) |
Żebbuġ | 4100–3800 BC |
| Mġarr | 3800–3600 BC | |
| Ġgantija | 3600–3000 BC | |
| Saflieni | 3300–3000 BC | |
| Tarxien | 3000–2500 BC | |
| Bronze Age (2500–700 BC) |
Tarxien Cemetery | 2500–1500 BC |
| Borġ in-Nadur | 1500–700 BC | |
| Baħrija | 900–700 BC | |
The Tarxien phase is one of the eleven phases of Maltese prehistory. It is named for the temple complex discovered near the village of Ħal Tarxien, and now recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.[1]
The Tarxien phase, from approximately 3000 to 2500 BCE,[2] follows the Saflieni phase and is the last phase of the Temple period, during which the principal megalithic temples of Malta were built.[3]
References
edit- ^ World Heritage List: Megalithic Temples of Malta. UNESCO. Accessed February 2014.
- ^ Bonanno, Anthony (1993). "Tarxien and Tarxien Cemetery. Break or Continuity between Temple Period and Bronze Age in Malta?". MEDITERRANEO. 3: 35–47.
- ^ A. Bonanno, T. Gouder, C. Malone and S. Stoddart (1990) Monuments in an Island Society: The Maltese Context. World Archaeology 22 (2, Monuments and the Monumental, October 1990): 190-205. (subscription required)