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}} The Megalithic Temples of Malta are several prehistoric temples, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10999939/21-World-Heritage-Sites-you-have-probably-never-heard-of.html )〕 built during three distinct time periods approximately between 3600 BC and 700 BC on the island country of Malta. They have been claimed as the oldest free-standing structures on Earth, although the largely buried Göbekli Tepe complex is now believed to be older.〔For comparison, the oldest Egyptian pyramids date from approximately 2630 BC–2611 BC, nearly 1000 years younger than the oldest of the Maltese megalithic temples.〕 Archaeologists believe that these megalithic complexes are the result of local innovations in a process of cultural evolution.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url= http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/malta/malta.html )〕 This led to the building of several temples of the Ġgantija phase (3600-3000 BC), culminating in the large Tarxien temple complex, which remained in use until 2500 BC. After this date, the temple building culture disappeared.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url= http://www.sacredsites.com/europe/malta/temples_malta.html )〕 The Ġgantija temples (two sites) were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url= http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/132 )〕 In 1992, the UNESCO Committee further extended the existing listing to include five other megalithic temple sites. These are Ħaġar Qim (in Qrendi), Mnajdra (in Qrendi), Ta' Ħaġrat Temples (in Mġarr), Skorba Temples (in Żebbiegħ) and Tarxien Temples (in Tarxien).〔 Nowadays, the sites are managed by Heritage Malta, while ownership of the surrounding lands varies from site to site.〔David Trump et al., Malta Before History (2004: Miranda Publishers)〕 Apart from these, there are other megalithic temples in Malta which are not included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. ==Etymology== Many of the names used to refer to the different sites carry a link with the stones used for their building. The Maltese word for boulders, '' 'ħaġar' ''is common to Ta’ Ħaġrat and Ħaġar Qim. While the former uses the word in conjunction with the marker of possession, the latter adds the word '' 'Qim' '', which is either a form of the Maltese word for '' 'worship' ''or an archaic form of the word meaning '' 'standing'.'' Maltese folklore describes giants as having built the temples, which led to the name Ġgantija, meaning '' 'Giants’ tower' ''. The Maltese linguist Joseph Aquilina believed that Mnajdra (Arabic: منيدرة) was the diminutive of '' 'mandra' '' (Arabic: مندرة), meaning a plot of ground planted with cultivated trees (the same usage is in Egypt colloquial today); however he also named the arbitrary derivation from the Arabic root '' 'manzara' '' (Arabic: منظرة), meaning 'a place with commanding views.' The Tarxien temples owe their name to the locality where they were found (from ''Tirix'', meaning a large stone), as were the remains excavated at Skorba. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Megalithic Temples of Malta」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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