Over the past five decades, several studies have revealed how the Maltese Neolithic temple builders, through architecture and other markers, may have shown interest in the movement of the sun, moon and stars.
A fine example is the internal layout of Mnajdra South Temple that corresponds with the position of sunrise at the beginning of every season.
A lesser known study explains how the rising moon’s maximum southerly position, which occurs every 18.6 years, may have been aligned with the main axis of some temples.
Other studies have argued that the lines of drilled holes found in Mnajdra North Temple were possibly related to the rising of bright stars at the time of the temples.
Of all our Neolithic sites, the main building at Ħaġar Qim stands alone in terms of position, plan and layout.
Constructed on the crest of a small hill, it was planned to have various openings overlooking practically every direction, although its main entrance maintained the south-east orientation, very near to the winter solstice sunrise.
I undertook this study, based mostly on direct observation, to find out whether the plan and layout of Ħaġar Qim was influenced by or related to the yearly movement of the sun.
Like other prehistoric communities worldwide, Malta’s Neolithic farmers observed and marked yearly or periodic cycles in the movement of celestial bodies. This probably helped them to better organise the yearly cycle of agricultural work.
As may be readily observed at Mnajdra, our Neolithic forebears were very aware of the yearly southernmost (winter solstice at December 21) and northernmost (summer solstice June 21) sunrise positions.
They even managed to divide the distance or angle between these two positions, thus obtaining the equinox position (spring equinox on March 21 and autumn equinox on September 23).
For clarity’s sake, it is useful to express what happens on these significant days in present-day terms. On the winter solstice, the sun rises at 119 degrees and sets at 241 degrees. On the equinoxes, it rises at 90 degrees and sets at 270 degrees, while on the summer solstice it rises at 60 degrees and sets at 300 degrees (marked red in Fig. 1).
At Ħaġar Qim some of these key orientations appear to have influenced the positioning of certain megaliths, thus creating a relation between them. This study has also revealed additional relations between the plan of some areas of Ħaġar Qim and other significant orientations.
It appears that the Neolithic builders were also capable of dividing the angle between the solstices and the equinox.
For the purpose of this article, this is referred to as the ‘mid-angle position’ (marked green in Fig. 1). For example the mid-angle between the summer solstice position at 60 degrees and the equinox position at 90 degrees is 75 degrees.
A particular area in Ħaġar Qim was noticed to be related to this position at sunrise. This suggests the possibility that for the Neolithic builders, there were two further significant sunrise orientations (75 degrees and around 105 degrees).
Moreover, evidence of interest in what is known as the quarter days was also found at Ħaġar Qim. The quarter days are calculated by dividing the number of days (and not the angle) between the solstices and the equinox, thus obtaining different sun’s positions (marked blue in Fig. 1).
Recent studies have shown some relation between these quarter days and the plan of Mnajdra South Temple which provides further evidence that the Neolithic builders considered these days significant.
If all these orientations were considered significant by the Neolithic community, how did they influence the plan and layout of Ħaġar Qim?
Ħaġar Qim’s main (SE) doorway is orientated a little more to the south (128 degrees) than sunrise at winter solstice (119 degrees). From the summer solstice to the winter solstice, every morning the sun rises a little more to the south than the day before.
At one point direct light from the rising sun starts to enter diagonally through the main doorway and falls on the vertical stone adjacent to the main altar. This occurs on the autumn mid-angle position (105 degrees – shown in green in Fig. 2). A few days later, on the quarter day (109 degrees), it falls on the left vertical megalith of the altar (blue in Fig. 2).
Coming to the winter solstice, direct sunlight from the rising sun passes through the main doorway and falls entirely on the main altar (red in Fig. 2). As the sun rises higher the same day, direct sunlight shifts to the left side along the main passage and reaches the exact total length of the passageway before it begins to retreat. By the time the sun is aligned with the main axis of the building, sunlight reaches only up to the middle doorway on this axis. From the winter solstice to the summer solstice, the sun rises in a progressively more northerly position, again passing the quarter day and the winter mid-angle position. It was observed that from this position (105 degrees) until the spring equinox (90 degrees), light from sunrise could not enter any part of the complex.
Coming to the spring equinox, when the sun is midway between the southernmost and northernmost positions, light from sunrise begins to show in the hole situated in the second right apse of Ħaġar Qim. This is an elliptical hole connecting Area 5 (an enclosure within this apse) inside the temple to a small external space behind the external niche facing east.
During the period between the spring and autumn equinoxes, direct light from the rising sun was ingeniously planned to pass through this hole and fall on the uprights of the enclosure, thus marking the significant days.
But it is not the hole in itself which is so amazing but the placing of two upright megaliths (on the outside) adjacent to this hole.
This arrangement allowed sunlight from the rising sun to enter as a circular patch of light through the hole when the sun is directly in front. Changing position on either side, sunlight hits one of the upright megaliths first before entering through the hole thus forming a segmented patch of light on the enclosure inside (Fig. 3).
Having explained this, let us now see how it all works. A number of days after the spring equinox, light from the rising sun begin to enter through the hole and to show in the enclosure of Area 5. On the spring mid-angle significant day (75 degrees), light from sunrise passes partially through the hole because it is shadowed by the upright megalith situated on the outside. Thus it is projected as a segmented patch of light and positioned at the north-west corner of the enclosure inside (Fig. 4 green line). Coming to the quarter day (69 degrees), sunrise occurs just in front of the hole, thus projecting a circular patch of light on the uprights of the enclosure (Fig. 4 blue line).
Moving further north and coming to the summer solstice (60 degrees), sunlight becomes almost closed off between the upright megalith and the hole, allowing only a thin segment of light to fall on the extreme left side of the upright next to the entrance to the enclosure (Fig. 4 red line).
After the summer solstice, the position of sunrise starts shifting back towards the south, thus passing over the quarter day and the summer mid-angle significant days.
Before coming to the autumn equinox it is blocked from penetrating through the hole at Area 5. Not only, but after the autumn equinox, light from the rising sun (90 degrees) is blocked from entering any part of Ħaġar Qim until the autumn mid-angle position (105 degrees), when it starts to enter through the main doorway thus starting a new cycle.
To be concluded