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In his report on the
‘Structure of the Prehistoric Megalithic Temples of
Malta’, architect Dr. Alex Torpiano explains what
building techniques must have been used for the
construction of the temples. He concludes
that the central areas of the temples were erected
first. These were strongly constructed to withstand the
horizontal pressure coming from the apses. Thus the
vertical megaliths forming the sides of the trilithon
doorway were embedded in appropriate holes in the solid
thresholds, so as to form a box. Similarly, the blocks at
the main passage are arranged so as to give each other
stability.
It
is striking that this report based on principles of
construction engineering points to the same conclusion as
the above-mentioned observations of the possible relation
between sun and temple plan. Both indicate that the main
doorway and the central areas of the temple were the first
to be erected. But the basic question is, from which point
did our temple builders start?
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