Rock cut tombs of Malta

Abstract

Earlier this century. Paul Bellanti was for some time acting Curator at the Valletta National Museum of Archaeology. He aided Sir T. Zammit, Curator and later Director of the Museum in the exploration of some of the ancient finds, in particular the Punic tombs of Malta and Gozo up to c.1911 . In those fledgling years of scientific archaeological exploration,field and recording techniques varied in their nature and the degree to which they were carried out. The main sources of information are particularly limited in Malta and Bellanti 's manuscript. being rich in "thick description", is a valuable adjunct to the known written records He was clearly present at. and may have instigated, the opening of many tombs in Qalillija and elsewhere. His powers of observation were keen; it is fortunate that this volume has not been edited as the margin notes indicated, allowing these valuable eye witness accounts to survive to the present. This volume is particularly useful in verifying and supplementing Zammit's own field notebooks held in the Library of the National Museum. [Abstract taken from Claudia Sagona's short note on the manuscript.]