Maltese archaeology : what future?

Abstract

Up to the end of the 19th century, whatever archaeological activity was conducted on Maltese soil was by antiquarians or dilettanti. The 17th-century ‘father of Maltese historiography’, Gian Francesco Abela, was merely a collector of antiquities and does not seem to have actively excavated; indeed he was critical of those who did so in search of treasure. Dr Antonio Annetto Caruana, at the other end of that chronological spectrum, was a Doctor of Divinity and, occupying the post of Director of the National Library in the last two decades of the 19th century, found himself entrusted with the custody of the national archaeological collection and with the uncovering operations of a number of important archaeological sites, such as the Roman domus outside Mdina and a Roman villa near Hal Kirkop, as well as some minor explorations on known megalithic sites.