The crustal movement caused 100m tsunami and large-scale land subsidence
The Republic of Malta is composed of the island of Malta about 100 kilometers south of Sicily and the island of Gozo in the northwest. It is a barren land where large trees cannot grow, but it has a long history as a Mediterranean trading base.
So today's Malta region has no original ancient myths or indigenous beliefs, but there is a story that has been handed down: ``A giant who died long ago carried a large number of rocks. ''There is a legend that was born in the ruins of many megalithic temples on the islands of Malta and Gozo.
So far, the "megalithic civilization of Malta" has been found to have begun about 8,000 years ago. It is characterized by the combination of huge stones with a height of 7 to 8 meters on the top of the scenic mountain, and several large temples of tens of square meters are built, which enshrine abundant stone statues of goddesses.
However, for some reason, most of these supposedly sturdy stone buildings collapsed, revealing ruins covered in thick mud and sand. As the site was designated a World Heritage Site in 1980 and restoration work officially began, startling truths emerged one after another. At the same time, the mystery of the identity of the men who founded this civilization deepens. According to archaeological journalist Satoshi Aruga,
"Preliminary research led by UNESCO attributed the collapse of the megalithic temple to a major earthquake. In addition, it turned out that the sediment accumulated at the bottom of the ruins was more than 2 meters thick and was carried away from the seabed by the tsunami. It was taken from the destroyed by a double attack, estimated to have occurred about 4,000 years ago."
What is surprising is the size of the tsunami. Archaeological surveys of Valletta, the capital city facing the northeast coast of Malta, revealed that a tsunami almost from the north rushed up the slopes and destroyed the Temple of Tarsin (about 50 meters above sea level) about 2 kilometers inland, filling it with dirt and sand.
The "underground temple" filled with more than 7,000 human bones
In addition, there are even more terrifying tsunami traces in the southeast. The huge water pressure from the east pushed a temple built on a cliff about 80 meters above sea level to the sea. The height of the temple is close to 10m, so it is believed that the wave height of the tsunami exceeded 100m.
In addition, in the hilly area about 300m north of Tarshen Temple, at the beginning of the 20th century, an "underground temple" was opened by excavating the bedrock to a depth of about 10m, which was filled with more than 7,000 human bones. What does this eerie discovery mean?
"These subterranean ruins also contain many religious relics such as statues of goddesses, and there is no doubt that they were originally used as temples.
From this unnatural situation, it seems that the bodies of a large number of people who died in a sudden disaster were urgently placed in the underground temple. "
A joint research team from Malta, Italy, France, and other countries is trying to figure out what caused the massive earthquake and tsunami that occurred 4,000 years ago, but the most likely theory is a sudden crustal movement on the seafloor. This is also possible because the central Mediterranean lies on the dividing line between the Eurasian and African plates. The eruptive activity of the volcanoes in southern Italy and Sicily is also caused by plate collisions in the region.
The islands of Malta and Gozo are surrounded by tens of kilometers of shallow seas of 20 to 100 meters deep, but the deepest active fault in the Mediterranean is located about 70 kilometers to the east, and the water depth suddenly drops to 3000 to 4000 meters. About 20 kilometers to the west, there are three large depressions with a depth of more than 1500 meters.
Many geologists and earth scientists in Europe and the United States speculate that a huge M9 earthquake occurred in these places 4,000 years ago, and it is very likely that a large-scale submarine collapse triggered a huge tsunami.
But if the legend of Atlantis is based on the megalithic civilization of Malta being hit by a gigantic tsunami, what about the rapid "flooding" of the land that Plato described?
Malta's megalithic civilization was far more widespread than it is today.
"There is a growing view that the depression of the western seafloor was caused by the 'collapse' caused by rapid crustal movements that occurred many times after the ice age. At the same time, the landmass of Malta sank tens of meters in a short period of time ...the catastrophe is believed to be reflected in the legends of Atlantis.”
In fact, there are also traces supporting this hypothesis. On the mainland of Malta and Gozo, the hills that hold the megalithic temples are carved with countless rail-like grooves called kartrats, many of which reach the sea floor.
"Five years ago, an Italian TV station conducted a comprehensive diving survey and found that the traces of those trenches stretched for several kilometers to a depth of 30m or more. At the bottom of the sea, there were not only Kurt Rats but also witnesses that were undoubtedly made by humans. The stone pavement and stone pillars, as well as the stone temple, ruins with the same structure as on land.
That is to say, the Maltese megalithic civilization that started about 8,000 years ago had a much wider spread than today, and the shallow waters between Malta and Sicily at a depth of about 100 meters were probably connected at that time. "
However, due to a natural disaster 4,000 years ago, most of them disappeared into the sea, leaving behind the ruins of megalithic temples and a small patch of unflooded land with 7,000 bodies. The latest archaeological research shows that, since then, Malta and Gozo have been completely uninhabited for about 500 years.
It is very possible that this lost ancient civilization is the root of the legend of Atlantis. What was this ancient civilization like?
