How were these Megaliths quarried?
Malta’s geological structure permitted the use of two types of limestone for construction purposes: (1) the hard, grey, upper-coralline limestone; and (2) the soft, pale, globigerina limestone. By exploiting natural fissures and crevices in the rock, the early Maltese builders managed to break off megaliths using primitive tools. These included hand-axes fashioned from imported flint, knives chiselled from imported obsidian, wooden wedges and levers, stone wedges and hammers. The soft globigerina limestone was adopted for the more refined, masonry work.
How were the Megaliths transported?
After the megaliths were quarried, they were transported over rollers, using levers, to nearby building sites. At the building site, the rollers were possibly exchanged for stone balls (still found in situ) so that the megaliths could be moved in all directions on the plane. This made it easier to place the large stones in their designated place since rollers only permit loads to be moved backwards or forwards.
How were these Megaliths erected?
The height of Maltese temple ruins may reach 20 feet. How did Stone Age people lift slabs weighing up to 20 tonnes to such heights? The early Maltese Temple-Builders would have known that dragging a burden up a ramp was much easier than lifting it. High external walls required long ramps. These ramps would be removed once the structure had been completed. |
