28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

“No Easy Way from Earth to the Stars”: Malta’s Prehistoric Temples (3800–2400 BCE) May Have Served as Celestial Navigation Schools

A new open-access study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences has reignited the debate surrounding the purpose and cosmic alignment of Malta’s prehistoric temples.

Constructed between 3800 and 2400 BCE, Malta’s prehistoric temples—including famed sites such as Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, and Tarxien—are UNESCO World Heritage Sites celebrated for their advanced architectural design, megalithic engineering, and elaborate carvings. Built over a millennium before Stonehenge or the Great Pyramids, these temples reflect a highly organized society with strong spiritual and possibly astronomical traditions.

The temples were constructed using massive limestone blocks, some weighing several tons, and were often laid out in cloverleaf-like trilithon or apsidal plans. Many are aligned with solar events, such as solstices and equinoxes, suggesting that their builders had a deep understanding of celestial cycles. Yet, despite decades of study, the full extent of their astronomical precision—and whether such alignments were symbolic, functional, or both—has remained an open question.

These megalithic structures, among the oldest free-standing buildings in the world, have long puzzled archaeologists. Now, researchers have taken a data-driven, interdisciplinary approach to uncover whether the orientations of these temples were guided more by earthbound considerations or by the stars themselves.

The location of the Maltese temples mentioned in this study, including Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, and Tarxien—some of the oldest freestanding stone structures in the world. Their orientations were statistically analyzed to explore potential alignments with celestial bodies such as Hadar, Gacrux, and Avior.  Source: Silva, F. & Lomsdalen, T. (2025)https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-025-02208-4
The location of the Maltese temples mentioned in this study, including Ġgantija, Ħaġar Qim, Mnajdra, and Tarxien—some of the oldest freestanding stone structures in the world. Their orientations were statistically analyzed to explore potential alignments with celestial bodies such as Hadar, Gacrux, and Avior. Source: Silva, F. & Lomsdalen, T. (2025)

Largest Dataset of Temple Orientations Ever Assembled

In a landmark effort, researchers Fabio Silva and Tore Lomsdalen compiled and analyzed orientation data from 32 individual temple structures spread across the Maltese archipelago. This represents the largest sample size of its kind, significantly expanding on previous studies that had relied on smaller and more fragmented datasets. By creating a robust statistical framework, the team was able to test multiple hypotheses simultaneously, offering the most comprehensive look yet at how the builders may have chosen where and how to orient these sacred spaces.

The data were processed using a unified probabilistic model that integrated both terrestrial and celestial variables—an approach rarely seen in archaeoastronomical studies. This model allowed the authors to evaluate competing explanations on equal footing, measuring the likelihood that temple orientations were influenced by factors such as land slope, prevailing wind directions, exposure to winter sunlight, or celestial alignments with the rising and setting of specific stars.

Earth-Based Explanations: Not the Whole Story

Initial findings showed that a substantial number of temples did align with practical earthly factors. For instance, some orientations appear to correlate with topographical gradients, possibly to prevent flooding or to optimize construction on sloped terrain. Others may have faced certain directions to shield the interiors from strong Mediterranean winds or to allow more winter sunlight into the structure—an especially important consideration in Neolithic societies with no artificial lighting.

However, when all environmental and geographic factors were accounted for, two major orientation clusters—centered around azimuths of approximately 130° and 200°—remained statistically significant and unexplained by non-astronomical variables. These persistent patterns hinted at a different kind of logic guiding the temple builders—one that pointed toward the night sky.


Plan of Ta’ Ħaġrat temple showing its three apses (beige rooms), paved central court (yellow floored hall) and entrance façade (on the right). Marked are the temple’s central axis (dotted arrow) and the orientations measured to define the entrance frame (solid arrows). Source: Silva, F. & Lomsdalen, T. (2025)
Plan of Ta’ Ħaġrat temple showing its three apses (beige rooms), paved central court (yellow floored hall) and entrance façade (on the right). Marked are the temple’s central axis (dotted arrow) and the orientations measured to define the entrance frame (solid arrows). Source: Silva, F. & Lomsdalen, T. (2025)

Celestial Alignments with Southern Stars

To explore the astronomical hypothesis, the researchers simulated the night sky as it would have appeared to temple builders between 3400 and 2400 BCE, factoring in the effects of axial precession. Remarkably, the unexplained orientation peaks matched the rising and setting azimuths of bright southern stars, including Hadar (Beta Centauri), Gacrux (Gamma Crucis), and Avior (Epsilon Carinae).

These stars, while no longer visible from Malta due to changes in Earth’s axial tilt, would have been prominent in the Neolithic southern sky. Importantly, these were not just any stars—they were bright enough to be used in open-sea navigation, forming key components of what later became the “southern star paths” in Mediterranean maritime tradition.

Temples as Training Grounds for Seafaring Societies?

The researchers propose a bold and novel interpretation: some of Malta’s earliest temples may have served a dual function as both sacred spaces and astronavigation training centers. According to this theory, the carefully aligned temple doorways and internal corridors may have acted as observational windows, directing the viewer’s gaze to the horizon point where specific stars would rise or set.

This aligns with broader anthropological theories that suggest early temple structures often played educational roles in addition to religious ones. In this case, young seafarers or apprentices might have been brought to these structures at night to learn how to identify, track, and follow stellar pathways, potentially as preparation for long-distance sea voyages. Some temples even appear to simulate a horizon through artificial elevation or sunken flooring, possibly creating the illusion of a seascape under the stars.

(a) Overhead photograph of the Tarxien horizontal slab (photo by Daniel Cilia, with permission); (b) the Southern Cross when rising as seen from Malta around 3250 BC. Source: Silva, F. & Lomsdalen, T. (2025)
(a) Overhead photograph of the Tarxien horizontal slab (photo by Daniel Cilia, with permission); (b) the Southern Cross when rising as seen from Malta around 3250 BC. Source: Silva, F. & Lomsdalen, T. (2025)

A Breakthrough in Archaeoastronomical Methodology

Beyond its compelling conclusions, the study represents a methodological breakthrough. By merging landscape archaeology with skyscape archaeology into a single statistical model, Silva and Lomsdalen have set a new standard for how such interdisciplinary studies should be conducted. This model reduces the risk of confirmation bias, a persistent problem in archaeoastronomy where researchers sometimes “see what they want to see” in sky alignments.

The authors’ approach ensures that claims of astronomical significance are rigorously tested against other plausible explanations. In doing so, it strengthens the case for the intentionality of the celestial alignments and opens up exciting new avenues for research—not just in Malta, but across other megalithic landscapes in the Mediterranean and beyond.

Reframing Malta’s Megaliths: Sacred Structures with Practical Purposes

This new perspective challenges the long-standing assumption that Malta’s prehistoric temples were solely ritualistic or symbolic in purpose. Instead, they may have embodied a sophisticated integration of cosmology, navigation, and pedagogy—tools not just for worship, but for survival in a maritime world.

As the paper’s title suggests, “non est ad astra mollis e terris via” – there is no easy way from Earth to the stars. Yet, for Malta’s temple builders, it seems that reaching toward the heavens was not just a metaphorical aspiration, but a literal one—etched in stone and oriented by starlight.

Silva, F. & Lomsdalen, T. (2025). “No easy way from the earth to the stars”: a new statistical approach to the orientation of the Maltese temples. Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 17:96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-025-02208-4

Cover Image Credit: Ggantija Temples, Xaghra, Gozo. Wikipedia Commons

Related Articles

2,400-year-old unearthed flush toilet in China

18 February 2023

18 February 2023

According to a China Daily report, the lower parts of a flush toilet estimated to be 2,400 years old have...

Roman mosaic found under the pavement in the narrow streets of Hvar

13 February 2022

13 February 2022

In the Old Town on the Adriatic island of Hvar, Croatia, a Roman mosaic was unearthed beneath a narrow street....

Prehistoric Cave Art Handprints With Missing Fingertips Point to Ritual Amputation

3 January 2024

3 January 2024

Researchers who examined prehistoric cave art in France and Spain, a new interpretation of Paleolithic cave art proposes that prehistoric...

Exciting discoveries at Accana Mound: 3,250-year-old seal belonging to Hittite prince and Akkadian cuneiform texts discovered

19 November 2021

19 November 2021

A 3250-year-old seal of the Hittite prince and a 3400-year-old cuneiform tablet was found in Accana Höyük (Mound) in the...

Archaeologists Uncover Rare Trojan War-Era Armor from 1200 BCE in Czechia

22 July 2025

22 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery in South Moravia has brought new insights into Bronze Age Europe and its warrior elites. The...

Archaeologists uncover a 1,500-year-old Lost Mayan city in the Yucatan

28 May 2022

28 May 2022

Researchers have presented their findings after discovering the remnants of an ancient Mayan city on a building site in Mexico....

5,500-Year-Old ‘Polish Pyramids’ Discovered by Archaeologists in Western Poland

11 July 2025

11 July 2025

Archaeologists in western Poland have uncovered two massive prehistoric structures dubbed the “Poland pyramids,” offering a remarkable glimpse into one...

Rare gladiator tombs were discovered in the Ancient City of Anavarza in southern Türkiye

10 August 2022

10 August 2022

Archaeologists have discovered rare gladiator tombs in the ancient city of Anavarza, known as the “Invincible city” in history, which...

A relief of a man holding his Phallus was found in Sayburç, one of the Taş Tepeler

18 October 2021

18 October 2021

In Sayburç, one of the Taş Tepeler in Şanlıurfa, a five-figure scene consisting of humans, leopards, and a bull was...

Earliest Modern Human Genome Identified

7 April 2021

7 April 2021

The fossilized skull of a woman in the Czech Republic provided the oldest modern human genome to date, which has...

Rare Bronze Celtic Warrior Figurine Discovered in Germany

15 August 2025

15 August 2025

Archaeologists in Manching, Bavaria, have made a groundbreaking discovery that offers unprecedented insight into the daily life, craftsmanship, and religious...

Oldest Recorded Gynecological Treatment

7 February 2021

7 February 2021

In their latest research, scientists have come across a treatment practice in a mummy from 4000 years ago, as written...

First direct evidence of drug use as part of Bronze Age ritual ceremonies in Europe

6 April 2023

6 April 2023

An analysis of human hair strands recovered from a burial site in Menorca, Spain, reveals that ancient human civilizations used...

To The West of Turkey Ancient Quarry Found

28 March 2021

28 March 2021

Turkey is very lucky in terms of ancient settlements. It is home to many unexplored artifacts, along with well-preserved ancient...

How Knossos Palace Looked in Its Glorious Days

9 May 2021

9 May 2021

Knossos Palace is a famous architectural structure of ancient Knossos, which was the capital of the Minoan Civilization. Archaeologist Arthur...