The Saflieni phase is one of the eleven phases of Maltese prehistory, the fourth of five in the middle or Temple period. It is named for the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, an underground temple complex now recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which was built mainly in this period.
Overview The Saflieni phase, from approximately 3300–3000 BC, is a brief transitional phase between the Ġgantija and Tarxien phases, the two main phases during which the principal Megalithic temples of Malta were built. Saflieni-phase ceramics may provide a useful indication of separation between the two long phases. They have been recovered from a number of Megalithic sites, including: the top level of the remains at Santa Verna at Xagħra in Gozo; from the eastern part of the temple of Ta' Ħaġrat in Mġarr; and from the lower levels of the east temple at Skorba.
References Reuben Grima (2008). Landscape, Territories, and the Life-Histories of Monuments in Temple Period Malta. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology. 21 (1): 35–56. . .
Anthony Bonanno (April 1993). Tarxien and Tarxien Cemetery. Break or Continuity between Temple Period and Bronze Age in Malta?. Mediterráneo. 2: 35–47.
David Hilary Trump (1972). Malta: An Archaeological Guide. London: Faber and Faber.
World Heritage List: Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. UNESCO. Accessed February 2014.