Dolmen Ancient Megalithic Structure in Malta

8/10/2019 Dolmen Ancient Megalithic Structure in Malta

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Dolmen at Santa Margerita


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Cultural heritage is the evidence of our forefathers living in this small island. The evidence

left behind from our ancestors gives us an identity of who we are today as Maltese citizens,

therefore as stated by UNESCO we must preserve our cultural heritage not only for the

present but also for future generation to know who and what came before them. With the help

of modern daily needs, our present generation can be easily educated and informed, as it isour duty to safeguard our heritage.

UNESCO, (1989.), defines cultural heritage as

" ... the entire corpus of material signs- either artistic or symbolic - handed on by the past to

each culture and, therefore, to the whole of humankind. As a constituent part of the

affirmation and enrichment of cultural identities, as a legacy belonging to all humankind, the

cultural heritage gives each particular place its recognizable features and is the storehouse of

human experience. The preservation and presentation of the cultural heritage are therefore a

corner-stone of any cultural policy."

The buildings that I chose to analyse are, the two Dolmen located at Wied Filep, a stone

throw away from Santa Margerita housing estates, which form part of Mosta.

This archeological site, according to Scerri, J. L., (1996.), dates us back to the prehistoric

time in the early Bronze Age Period (c.2500 - c.700 BC). In fact this is one of the little

evidence that exists today in Mosta, which tracks us back to that period. According to

Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, (2007.), the word 'Dol-men' derived from two Breton (a

Celtic language) terms denotation 'Stone-table'. Every Dolmen consists of two huge stonesvertically placed (roughly 3.657 meters by 1.524 meters wide) serving as a base for the third


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massive stone to be placed horizontally on top of the two other stones, forming a 'stone-table'

structure. Due to the findings that archeologists found under the Dolmen, such as pottery,

they were able to conclude that, they were prehistoric megalith tombs. In fact their function

was to hold the remains of the dead. They also concluded that some of the Dolmens were

used again for secondary funeral purpose. The discovery of pottery under these 'table-structures' in Malta, helped the archeologists to attribute these monuments to Tarxien

cemetery culture.

According to Regester, R., (n.d.), all cultural heritages that is tangible, has cultural

importance because it forms part of the heritage of any population and civilization. Therefore,

one must protect, preserve and may be restore these inheritances, not only for the people

living in that particular district but also to make them accessible to each and every individual

in the world. Unlike some of the natural resources that are renewable, all cultural heritages

are not. Consequently, one must ensure an ongoing preservation process for the present and

future generation yet to come to enjoy these wonderful structures.

These megalithic ruins have a substantial amount of value to the Maltese citizens. Before one

starts to conserve these building's values, one has to identify them and try to make the most

out of them so that they would be aware of the great importance these megalithic tomb

structures have. It was sited that:

"All historic buildings have a set of values developed from their origins and throughout their

history. These values can be analysed to extract the most important elements to be preserved.

Analysing the values of our built heritage will allow us to create better decision-making

process." (Robles, 2010, p.146)

Robles (2010) further claims that, such values that a historical building can be attributed to,

are "structural, constructional, functional, aesthetic, formal, historical, and symbolic values."

In order to identify these values, one must preserve and protect the building itself and its

environment. According to the Government Notice (21 November, 1932), the two Dolmen in

the field Ta' fuq Wield Filep at Mosta District are being protected by law and that anyone

caught doing any type of damage to the structure will be punished. This indicates that the

Government is aware of the great importance these structures have.

The Dolmen found in Santa Margerita has all the values mentioned by Robles. They have awonderful history that backs them considering the fact that structurally they are one of the

first structure build by primitives which had a stone roof. Moreover, aesthetical they are one

of the most beautiful prehistoric structures in the world which symbolically it was used as

tomb for the dead. A value that Robles did not mention is the economic value. Considering

the fact that Malta is a small island, and it does not have the amount of resources other

countries own, an essential income to the economy is tourism. In fact, tourism contributes

about 15% of the nation's GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Such archeological sites are very

popular for tourists to visit, therefore we must also protect them not for historical, aesthetic

and structural values only, but also for economic reasons, as they are essential to the Maltese

economy. According to Cutajar, R. Z. (30 December, 2010.), tourists arrival in 2010 reached


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1.3 million exceeding even the record established in 2008 of 1.2 million. Showing these

statistics, gives us a reason to protect our cultural heritage so that every year, the tourists

visiting Malta would increase.

Although, the Government introduced the two Dolmen found at the outskirts of Mosta in the

Protection of Antiquities Regulations in 21st November, 1932 as stated above, according to

Salvatore, D. M., (2007.), in the 1980's the Government present at that time did not put down

the Home Ownership Scheme proposal to build the Santa Margerita housing estate. It is a pity

that the site where the two dolmen are located, are suppressed by the domination of the 3

story buildings instead of developing the land around the dolmens in such a way as to give

more prominence to the megalithic tombs.

Development of Santa Margerita

The motto of the Mosta people is 'Spes Alit Ruricolam' which when translated is defined as

"Hope Strengthens the Farmer". This gives a clear idea that farmers occupied this village. In

the last three decades Mosta has gone and it is still going through extensive progress,

commercial and construction wise. Mosta is cited in the heart of Malta and is surrounded by

"fertile agricultural land". Villages and towns situated in the neighborhood of Mosta are Hal

Lija, Burmarrad, Rabat and Naxxar. Its population has boosted up and in order to satisfy the

needs of the families formed, sub urban village were erected. One can find Santa Margerita,

Tal-Blata l-Gholja, Ta' Milt and Iz-Zokrija.

In this photo below, one can see how the center was developed and the outskirt was left to

cultivate their lands.

Map of Mosta in 1837


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The first ever Census to be made in the Maltese Island was in 1842. Mosta at that time was

referred to as Musta, and its population amounted to 3,386 residents consisting in 1,601

males and 1,785 females. As years passed, Mosta was attracting more citizens. In fact, it had

a higher population rate than its neighbors, Naxxar and Gharghur, whose population

amounted to 2,765 and 1,097 respectively. Mosta continued to expand and attracted morecitizens to move in. In fact, Bugeja, M. A., (2007.), in the following table shows the increase

in the population of Mosta community from 1842 till 2005.

Year Mosta Numerical

Growth

% Growth

of Mosta

National Numerical

Growth

%of

National

Growth

1842 3,386 / / 114,499 / /

1851 3,524 138 4.08 121,287 6,788 5.93

1861 3,825 304 8.63 134,055 12,768 10.53

1871 3,987 159 4.15 141,775 7,720 5.73

1881 4,365 378 9.48 149,782 8,007 5.651891 4,257 -108 -2.47 177,457 27,675 18.48

1901 4,629 372 8.74 207,890 30,433 17.15

1911 5,783 1,154 24.93 211,564 3,764 1.77

1921 4,866 -917 -15.86 212,258 694 0.33

1931 5,251 385 7.91 241,621 29,363 13.83

1948 7,186 1,935 36.85 305,991 64,370 26.64

1957 7,395 209 2.91 319,656 13,665 4.47

1967 8,335 940 12.71 314,175 -5,481 -1.73

1976 8,134 -201 -2.41 322,016 7,841 2.50

1985 12,148 4,014 49.35 345,418 23,402 7.271995 16,754 4,606 37.92 378,132 32,714 9.47

2005 18,676 1,922 11.50 404,039 25,907 6.85

As one can notice from the following photos taken in the late 19th century, in 1935, and the

survey sheet respectively, one can observe that the area developed till 1968 in Mosta was in

its center where one could find the Rotunda Church and the square. During this period, Mosta

was still surrounded with fields.

Photo of Mosta in late 19 century


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Approximately Santa Margerita

Photo of Mosta in 1935



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Approximately Santa Margerita



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Santa Margerita Survey sheet 1968

Dolmen

Mosta Survey sheet 1968

Santa Margerita


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As seen in the table above, from 1976 till 1985, the population increased by 4,014, therefore

buildings had to be constructed at the outskirts of Mosta. The primarily reason why sub urban

villages such as Margerita had to be planned was because the area near the Rotunda was

becoming too densely populated, and it could not anymore satisfy the needs of the families

formed. As one can see, the following tables produced by Bugeja, M. A., (2007.), shows thenational and local density in square per miles and in square per kilometers respectively in

Mosta.

Year Area in

sq. mile

Local

Population

Average no.

of persons

per sq. mile

Area in

sq. miles

National

Population

Average

no. of

persons per

sq. mile

1881 1.354 4,365 3,224 117.36 149,782 1,276

1891 1.354 4,257 3,144 117.36 174,547 1,487

1901 1.354 4,629 3,419 117.36 196,178 1,671

1911 1.354 5,783 4,271 117.36 221,161 1,884

1921 1.107 4,866 4,396 121.82 216,614 1,778

1931 1.107 5,251 4,743 121.81 245,638 2,016

1948 1.107 7,186 6,491 121.84 305,991 2,511

1957 1.9 7,377 3,883 121.85 316,620 2,623

1967 3.376 8,335 2,469 121.85 314,175 2,5781976 3.376 8,134 2,409

Year Area in sq.

km

Persons Average no.

of persons

per sq. km

Area in

sq. km

Average

no. of

persons per

sq. km

1985 6.418 12,178 1,176 315.591 345,418 1,094

1995 5.427 16,754 3,087 315.591 378,132 1,200

2005 6.78 18,676 2,755 315.591 404,039 1,282

The following photos are taken from the Mepa Server Sheet where they indicates the

development Santa Margerita has gone through from 1998 till 2004.

Mosta National

Mosta National


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Ortho photo Map 1998

Orthophoto Map 2004

Dolmen

Dolme

Santa Margerita

Santa Margerita


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The only problem with this area is that, it hosted an important cultural heritage. When

considering the fact that three story buildings suppressed the importance of such 'stone-tables'

and the distance between the historic site and the housing estate is very close, one can

conclude that when planning this area, they did not take into consideration the importance of

the megalithic structures. It would have been much better, if the housing estate was plannedmuch far away, in such a way that when one is visiting the site, the visitor will not be able to

see the modern architecture in the background, as seen in the photograph below. Another

issue that is very alarming is that the Dolmen is very difficult to reach due to the fact that

there is no direct route which takes you there. In fact one may propose to make route that

takes you there in order to aid visitors visiting these megalithic site.

Additionally, the area where the two Dolmen is located is abandoned and the land is not

taken good care of. Moreover, roads are found round these megalithic tombs, which with

their pollution can make extensive damage. There is no protection and security up tostandards to protect such wonders from vandalism as the only mediocre protection is the

rubble wall round the structures. No guards or security cameras are found in the area. If such

heritage is not taken care of, it may suffer consequences and when the damage is so extensive

than it will be irreversible.

Our heritage is very important to us Maltese citizens because it defines our culture from any

other culture. Therefore our main objective is to try and preserve, protect, and restore such

wonders not only to safeguard our historical past but also giving the same opportunities of

learning such knowledge to future generations.


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References:

Bugeja, M. A., (2007.). Dissertation: A study in local history since 1800: Mosta.

Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, (2007.).Dolmen. Retrieved from

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Dolmen

Cutajar, R. Z., (30 December, 2010.). Tourist arrivals expected to reach 1.3 million by end

2010. Retrieved from

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Tourist-arrivals-expected-to-

reach-1-3-million-by-end-2010

Government Notice.(21 November, 1932.).Protection of Antiquities Regulations. Retrieved

from

http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=11070&l=1

Maps of Mosta and Santa Margerita. Retrieved from official website of

Mepahttp://mapserver.mepa.org.mt/frame.php?site=malta_internet&lang=en&group=public

&resol=2

Regester, R., (n.d.). The constitution of the Republic. Retrieved from

http://www.centrorisorse.org/protecting-cultural-heritage-the-task-of-all.html

Robles, L. G., (2 May, 2010.). A methodological Approach Towards Conservation.

Conservation and MGMT of ARCH. Sites,12, 146-69.

Salvatore, D. M. (2007). Dissertation: The housing situation in Mosta: A geographicalanalysis.

Scerri, L. J. (1996.). Mosta: The heart of Malta.

UNESCO, (1989.). Draft Medium Term Plan 1990-1995. Retrieved from

http://cif.icomos.org/pdf_docs/Documents%20on%20line/Heritage%20definitions.pdf
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Dolmenhttp://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Dolmenhttp://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Tourist-arrivals-expected-to-reach-1-3-million-by-end-2010http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Tourist-arrivals-expected-to-reach-1-3-million-by-end-2010http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Tourist-arrivals-expected-to-reach-1-3-million-by-end-2010http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=11070&l=1http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=11070&l=1http://mapserver.mepa.org.mt/frame.php?site=malta_internet&lang=en&group=public&resol=2http://mapserver.mepa.org.mt/frame.php?site=malta_internet&lang=en&group=public&resol=2http://mapserver.mepa.org.mt/frame.php?site=malta_internet&lang=en&group=public&resol=2http://www.centrorisorse.org/protecting-cultural-heritage-the-task-of-all.htmlhttp://www.centrorisorse.org/protecting-cultural-heritage-the-task-of-all.htmlhttp://cif.icomos.org/pdf_docs/Documents%20on%20line/Heritage%20definitions.pdfhttp://cif.icomos.org/pdf_docs/Documents%20on%20line/Heritage%20definitions.pdfhttp://cif.icomos.org/pdf_docs/Documents%20on%20line/Heritage%20definitions.pdfhttp://www.centrorisorse.org/protecting-cultural-heritage-the-task-of-all.htmlhttp://mapserver.mepa.org.mt/frame.php?site=malta_internet&lang=en&group=public&resol=2http://mapserver.mepa.org.mt/frame.php?site=malta_internet&lang=en&group=public&resol=2http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=11070&l=1http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Tourist-arrivals-expected-to-reach-1-3-million-by-end-2010http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Tourist-arrivals-expected-to-reach-1-3-million-by-end-2010http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Dolmen