Malta: Land of Forgotten Temples

The Archaeology Channel - Video News from TAC, December 2011.

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(2) Long before Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, Neolithic people in Malta built many impressive megalithic temples. Then the temple builders vanished from the archaeological record. Our ALI film team goes to Malta to explore the temples and their mysteries.

In May 2011, at the invitation of the Malta Tourism Authority, we toured the small island nation of Malta and shot footage for a special production about the ancient temple sites there. Our production team, comprising Videographer and Director Teal Greyhavens, Producer Rick Pettigrew, and Production Coordinator Anies Hassan, visited the islands of Malta and Gozo and captured images of the spectacular prehistoric megalithic temples that were built between 3600 and 2500 B.C., effectively before the megalithic stones of Stonehenge were raised and before the Egyptians built their pyramids. We were awestruck by the complexity and size of these structures, which are some of the oldest freestanding buildings in the world.

The shooting conditions were excellent and the visual opportunities were outstanding. Local experts from Heritage Malta gave us some very attractive and competent interviews. The story of the temples is literally amazing, yet underappreciated around the world.