The Mediterranean Sea, between Italy (Sicily) and Africa, dangles a certain island: Malta. Or rather, even a whole archipelago of islands. Ostrovkov)) Led by Malta itself. The second largest is the island of Gozo. The dimensions of the island of Gozo are tiny: 15 by 6 kilometers. Now the population there is 500. There are no rivers. There are roads: one piece))) You can sail from Malta yourself: two swims, two kilometers each (in the middle there is still a tiny island).
Mediterranean Sea.
. Maltese archipelago.
Maltese archipelago.
Gozo island.
And on this island of Gozo, right in the midst of this geographical misunderstanding (Robinson Crusoe had an island even larger) - there are the ruins of an ancient prehistoric temple in the shape of a shamrock. A megalithic structure called Ġgantija, "Tower of the Giants". I remember I stood in the middle of it and went nuts: this is a really big temple, made of 20-ton boulders, all kinds of rooms, side-altars, altars … Without a roof, of course. A guide nearby at this time explained to a group of tourists that he is at least a couple of millennia older than the Great Pyramids. It's a pity I didn't have a camera then, so without my photos this time.
Part of the Temple of the Giants' Tower, Ggantija. Photo: The EU Research & Innovation Magazine.
"Tower of the Giants" from the air.
Promotional video:
Because of this "Temple of the Giants", the island of Gozo attracts the attention of archelogues. This time an archeological expedition from Ireland worked there. Specialists in megaliths, as I understand it, they are also immeasurable in Ireland))
The fact is that 6 thousand years ago (6000) there was quite a civilization on the island of Gozo. Small, of course, but peaceful - no remnants of the wars were found. It had existed for a thousand years, and then, within two generations, it suddenly disappeared. Scientists are trying to solve this riddle. Generations then did not live like now, so it probably disappeared in 50-60 years.
Tower of the Giants Plan, By Hamelin de Guettelet - Own work, Public domain.
A team of archaeologists led by Professor Caroline Malone of Queen's University in Belfast drilled several holes in the ground and examined the remains of ancient burials.
The conclusion of the group: the depletion of the island's resources (in particular, all forests were cut down) are to blame for the catastrophe, which led to the degradation and extinction of the local population. Possibly diseases brought in by migrants from Africa, whose remains were also found. And in 2350 BC, probably due to a volcanic eruption, the island was covered with volcanic ash. That finally destroyed this small, but proud and peaceful civilization, with an incomprehensible purpose built the megalithic "Tower of the Giants".