Athena's thoughts on Malta's Heritage

An expert's opinion on the current state of Malta's heritage - Athena in Cambridge reviews the state of Malta's temples and heritage sites while stressing the role of education and culture. She concludes that "we're getting there and the situation is not so bleak." From Rites of Passage:

I owe this post to Jacques and MaltaGirl, who gently reminded me that I should address this topic. First, I will address a couple of misconceptions. MaltaGirl asks if in their original form temples were more like earthen mounds. The answer is no. Earthen mounds (aka barrows) are found in Britain and much of Atlantic Europe. The Maltese temples are entirely stone built and have always been "exposed", in that they were always meant to be visible. Their very physicality was as important as the rituals conducted within. For plenty of good pictures see Daniel Cilia's excellent website..

The management and presentation of heritage is in the hands of Heritage Malta. HM is doing a fantastic job and its dedicated team deserves highest praise. However, HM has far too many sites and museums to deal with, not enough staff and a pathetically small budget which keeps shrinking. Preserving and presenting heritage costs a heck of a lot of money and institutional support is essential. But how can HM function properly without getting sufficient backing? Politicians are not interested in heritage, despite pathetic attempts at paying lip service. The truth is, heritage does not gain you votes and Maltese politics are all about votes..

Heritage Malta is on the right track. For example, few people might be aware that one can observe the solstice and equinox at Mnajdra. In my early undergrad days, we would go with one of the curators to experience this. Thankfully, Heritage Malta has now started offering this experience to a wider audience. The event is advertized well in advance and HM staff offer an excellent guided tour of the site, an explanation of the astronomical debate and, on top of that, people get to enjoy the solstice/equinox...

The Maltese Blogosphere - For Athena, "it all started with Wired Temples..."