Borġ in-Nadur

Borġ in-Nadur

The megalithic temple at Borġ in-Nadur
Location	Birżebbuġa, Malta
Coordinates	35°49′52.3″N 14°31′44.4″E / 35.831194°N 14.529000°E / 35.831194; 14.529000Coordinates: 35°49′52.3″N 14°31′44.4″E / 35.831194°N 14.529000°E / 35.831194; 14.529000
Type	Temple Fortified village
Part of	Megalithic Temples of Malta
History
Material	Limestone
Founded	c. 2500 BC
Abandoned	c. 500 BC
Periods	Tarxien phase Bronze Age
Site notes
Excavation dates	18th century – 1959
Archaeologists	Annetto Caruana Antonio Annetto Caruana Margaret Murray
Condition	Ruins
Ownership	Government of Malta
Management	Heritage Malta
Public access	No

Borġ in-Nadur is an archaeological site located in open fields overlooking St George's Bay, near Birżebbuġa, Malta. It is occupied by a Tarxien phase megalithic temple as well as the remains of a Bronze Age village which includes the earliest fortification in Malta. The site is located close to various Bronze Age cart ruts and silos, as well as Saint George Redoubt which was built thousands of years later in 1715–1716.

A temple was constructed in the area in around 2500 BC, during the Tarxien phase of Maltese prehistory and the last phase of the Temple period. The architecture shows a typical four-apse plan, although the wall made up of megaliths is quite low. The temple's entrance has two upright megaliths which can still be seen. A large covered niche stands close to the entrance but its capstone is now broken into three pieces.

The temple lacks the artistic decorations associated with similar temples from the era such as Tarxien Temples or Ħaġar Qim. A small cemetery is located about 9m away from the main temple.

In the Bronze Age period, a flourishing village colonized the site of the former temple as well as the surrounding area, which had since been abandoned. The temple was converted into a group of dwellings, and various huts were built in the area around it. The huts' foundations still exist, but they cannot be seen today since they were reburied after being excavated and studied. Scattered sherds were found in a large area all around the temple. Some of these were Mycenaean in origin, indicating that there was direct or indirect contact between the Maltese and Aegean civilization.

The inhabitants fortified their settlement with a 4.5m D-shaped bastion in order to bar access to the village. The wall was built facing inland, suggesting that the people living in the village were more concerned with attacks from the land than from the sea. After the area was excavated, the wall was not reburied and it still standing. It is believed to be the oldest surviving fortification in Malta, and it is the best preserved among the six sites in Malta identified as having been fortified settlements in the Bronze Age.