SITE VISITS WITH DR DAVID TRUMP

DR DAVID TRUMP

Dr David Trump is very closely associated with the development of Maltese archaeology, an association which commenced fifty years ago, in 1954, when, as an assistant to John D Evans, he was involved in the excavations of Ġgantija Temples in Gozo. Between 1958 – 1963, he served as Curator of the local National Museum , when he promoted a programme of archaeological excavations, including the first excavations at Skorba. Dr Trump was the first archaeologist to introduce the science of ‘carbon dating’ in Malta and also discovered two new phases in Maltese prehistory, which are now referred to as the Skorba phases.

Dr Trump was subsequently appointed lecturer in archaeology with the Board for Extra-Mural Studies at the University of Cambridge . However, he has maintained a keen interest in Mediterranean archaeology, including the archaeology of Sardinia and Sicily, and during these last years he has actively been carrying out research on prehistoric linkages between Sicily and Malta, which should shed a new light on the study of Maltese prehistory.
Dr Trump has published extensively. These includes publications dedicated exclusively to Maltese archaeology, such as ‘Skorba – the Prehistory of Malta (1966)’, ‘ Malta – An Archaeological Guide (1972)’ and ‘ Malta : Its Prehistory and Temples (2003)’.

For the sixth year, Dr. Trump was invited by the Festival Mediterranea committee to organize site visits at the Ggantija Temples & Gozo Stone Circle Xaghra Gozo on the 29th October, at Ras il-Wardija Punic Sanctuary & Dwejra, on the 31st October and once again at the Hypogeum in Tarxien, Malta on the 1st November.