House of Character, Tarxien

Tarxien (or Hal Tarxien) is a small village in the southeast of Malta. The etymology of the village may be a corruption of one of two words: Tarzin, an Arabic word for a family of trees; or Tirix, meaning a large stone, like those used for the village's noted temples. The oldest temple is said to date back to about 2800 BCE. The temples feature various statues and reliefs of animals, including goats (for which Malta is noted) and pigs. Most notable of the statues found in the Temples are about 2.5 m in height and are said to represent a sort of Mother Goddess. There are several of these statues scattered around the various temples and are thought to represent fertility.