Skorba: Echoes of Malta's Neolithic Past

Skorba, situated on the outskirts of Mġarr, is a significant, albeit understated, window into Malta's Neolithic past. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Skorba's importance lies in its contribution to understanding the domestic and religious lives of Malta's prehistoric people.The site consists of the remains of two temples, the oldest dating back to the Ġgantija phase (3600-3200 BC) and the other to the Tarxien phase (3150-2500 BC). Excavations revealed that the area was inhabited long before the temples were built, with the earliest remains including an 11-meter wall dating back to the Għar Dalam phase (5000-4300 BC). Within the same site, archaeologists also found remains of ancient dwellings thought to predate the temple period. These could have been the houses of the temple builders and their families.Unlike more elaborate temple complexes, Skorba's ruins are relatively sparse. However, the site's excavation in the 1960s, using modern archaeological techniques, provided invaluable information about Malta's Neolithic culture. Discoveries included prehistoric pottery, red ochre wall plaster (suggesting the temples were once brightly decorated), figurines, and stone tools. The discovery within these structures of a number of female figurines and goat skulls, led the excavator to suggest that these structures may have been used as some sort of shrine. Remains of wheat, lentil and barley seeds together with pottery, animal bone and stone tools were also found.