This year's BU set from Malta contains a full set of Maltese euro coins and the 2 euro commemorative coin Ggantija.
The Ggantija Temples are two prehistoric temples on Gozo, the second-largest island in Malta. One of them is the oldest stone structure in the world, predating Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids by hundreds of years. Round in shape and containing statues of full-figured goddesses, the Ggantija temples were dedicated to the Great Earth Mother and probably included an oracle. The site was a place of pilgrimage for the ancient inhabitants of Malta.
Malta has been a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004, and is a member of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union. The selection of the designs of the coins was decided by public consultation in two rounds. The first round of the consultation process started on January 14, 2006 and ended on January 29, 2006. During this period the Maltese public could participate in the process by choosing from a total of 12 options, divided into 4 design themes - Prehistoric Malta, Renaissance Malta, The Maltese Identity and The Maltese Archipelago and three different options were presented for each theme. |