2 euro 2022 Malta – Hal Saflieni Hypogeum

This is the seventh coin in a series of prehistoric temples in Malta.

Hal-Saflieni hypogeum (from the Greek hypo + gaia, underground temple), a megalithic underground structure in the city of Paola on the island of Malta. It consists of 34 rooms, hollowed out in the thickness of limestone. The beginning of the construction of Hal-Saflieni dates back to 4000 BC. This oldest megalithic temple in Malta was accidentally discovered by builders during sewerage in 1902. Numerous scattered bone remains of people and sacrificial animals were found inside the cone- or egg-shaped rooms. Geometric patterns were discovered on the walls, as well as traces of the use of ocher for ritual purposes. The cult of female fertility flourished in Khal-Saflieni. This is indicated by the fact that the temple halls are in the form of a mother’s womb, and inside the hypogeum a Neolithic statuette of a sleeping obese woman was discovered, continuing the tradition of Paleolithic venuses. It is assumed that a communal burial ground functioned in the Hypogeum for many centuries. The ancient inhabitants of Malta carved new corridors and grottoes in the rock, in which they buried their dead. Thus, the total area of the underground complex was 480 square meters; in ancient times, 6-7 thousand people could be buried there.

Denomination: 2 euro

Alloy: CuNi

Quality: UNC

Weight: 8.5g

Diameter: 25.75mm

Coin mintage: 150,000

Release Date: November 2022