3. Ggantija: The Impossible Megalithic Structure Built by a Giantess.
Ggantija on the island of Malta is the second oldest man-made structure on earth. The megalithic complex was built between 3600-3000BC, just as agriculture was establishing itself in Malta. Based on the evidence of animal sacrifice and small figurines, experts agree that Ggantija had a ritual significance. What is more uncertain, however, is precisely how an early society with only stone tools at its disposal could have cut and transported the materials used to build the temple.
The complex was formed from a series of interconnecting temples surrounded by a single 6ft limestone wall. Some of the stones used to build the complex were massive, measuring 5 meters in height and weighing as much as 50 tonnes. Experts are at a loss to explain how an early agricultural society, equipped with no metal tools or wheeled vehicles could have moved the stones. Some have speculated that the builders transported the vast rocks on rollers made out of small pebbles. However, the locals have a legend that acknowledges if not explains the tremendous feat of constructing Ggantija.
Large female statues found on the site suggest the temple was dedicated to an agricultural mother goddess. This goddess is remembered in local legends as a giantess called Sansuna who ate nothing but broad beans and honey and bore a child to one of the local men. The legend tells that Sansuna was the builder of Ggantija, a feat that she achieved in a single day by transporting the stones for the complex on her head. It is for this reason that the complex is today known as the Ggantija or the “Giantess’s Tower.”