The Oldest Buildings on Earth

The oldest buildings still standing on earth are on the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo. A millennium before the pyramids of Egypt, 2,000 years before Stonehenge and 4,000 years before Christ, those clever Maltese had chalked up such architectural accomplishments as: site planning, retaining walls, corbelling, the horizontal arch and the use of forecourts.

Even more stunning is how idyllic their society seems to have been. There is no evidence of any warfare nor weapons. They used modern looking furniture. They wore clothes made from woven fabric and fastened with buttons.

There seems to have been true equality of the sexes. Analyses of excavated burial sites show no differentiation between classes or genders. Even the architecture is a blend of male and female elements working together for the greater good. In one of the most intact temples, the Hypogeum or “Underground Temple,” very masculine, angular, squared-off portals and lintels blend into curved, feminine walls.

If women and men were accorded equality in ancient Maltese society, their deity was certainly feminine. The Goddess is obviously reflected in the design of the temples on Malta and Gozo. Looking at an aerial view of Mnajdra (pronounced NIE-dra) the layout of the temple is clearly symbolic of a full-figured female body, with oval shapes representing her buttocks, breasts and head.

Body Mind Spirit Journeys is offering a spiritual tour of Malta and its goddess temples in June, 2013. The program is a guaranteed departure, but as of this writing, there are still a few spaces left. For more information please follow this link.