Xagħra Stone Circle

The Xagħra Stone Circle, also known as the Xagħra Hypogeum or the Brochtorff Circle, is a Neolithic funerary complex located in Xagħra, Gozo, Malta [1]. It consists of a series of caves which were used to bury the dead [1]. It mainly dates back to around 3000 to 2400 BC, although the earliest tombs at the site date back to 4100 to 3800 BC [1]. The caves collapsed sometime before 2000 BC, and the site was later used for domestic and agricultural purposes [1]. The Xagħra Stone Circle originally consisted of a walled enclosure surrounding caves which were used as a necropolis [1]. Excavations at the site have shown that the bodies of the deceased were dismembered, and the different body parts were buried at separate places [1]. The site was the burial ground of the same community which built the nearby Ġgantija temple [1]. The Xagħra Stone Circle was first recorded by Jean Houel in 1788 [1].