The CULT-TIPS partners are spread across the whole of Europe and live close to some fascinating cultural heritage. In this series of blog posts we'd like to introduce you to some of the iconic heritage that our partners want to share!
The oldest free-standing structures on Earth
According to UNESCO, the Megalithic Temples of Malta that date from 5,500 to 2,500 BC are some of the oldest, free-standing stone buildings on Earth. They are even older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Egypt. Remarkable for their diversity of form and decoration the Megalithic Temples of Malta are the result of local innovations in a process of a cultural revolution. The ancient Maltese are believed to have prioritized both architectural proficiency and artistic creativity, which these structures inherently blend together. In terms of their contemporary innovation, the temples show evidence of construction methods and design that were fairly ahead of their time. While not much is known about who built them, evidence from inside the temples such as livestock sacrifices suggests that local farmers constructed the stony structures.
Through the use of radiocarbon dating, the development of the temples has been split up into three phases spanning the bronze-age. More than 50 temples were found on the islands of Malta and most of them are constructed in the same design which includes a central corridor with two or more chambers and an altar at the end. The most known temples are Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien and Ġgantija on the island of Gozo.
Maltese partner: St Michael School
St. Michael School was set up in 1988. The school educates children from Kindergarten level (age 3) right up to their senior years (age 16), preparing the students for the local examinations (Sec) as well as the British based examinations. They're co-developing and testing materials along with other partners in the project.