VALLETTA, MALTA—The underground Neolithic necropolis known as the Hypogeum has reopened to the public after a months-long conservation project. The Times of Malta reports that the site, which consists of three levels of rock-cut chambers and dates to between 4000 and 25000 B.C., was the subject of a large-scale effort to stabilize its climatic conditions. Created around the same time as Malta's aboveground megalithic temples, the Hypogeum once held the remains of some 7,000 individuals. Its intricately carved walls closely resemble those of the contemporary megalithic temples, and are still decorated with the remnants of ochre paintings, the preservation of which was one of the conservators' chief concerns. To read about another massive site dating to the same period, go to “Neolithic Europe’s Remote Heart.”
