Maltese Falklore - Themistocles Zammit

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Themistocles Zammit

Themistocles Zammit was born on 30th September 1864 in Valletta. He studied at the Lyceum and the UM from where he graduated MD in 1889. He specialized in bacteriology in London and Paris. In 1890 he was appointed government analyst with the department of health, in 1897 university examiner in physics and in 1905 professor of chemistry. He served as university rector from 1920 to 1926. In 1920 Zammit was awarded the Mary Kinsley Medal and the degree of D. Litt by the University of Oxford. In 1930 he became knight bachelor by King George V.

Zammit carried out successful experiments on undulant fever, which killed hundreds of patients in those days. But he was also very interested in archaeology and history. In 1903 he became a director of the National Museum. When he retired from the rectorship of University, he dedicated all his time and energy to his interests in archaeology and history.

Zammit was responsible for the excavations of the Hypogeum, the Temples of Hal Tarxien, of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra as well as the St. Paul's Catacombs in Rabat. He wrote books about these discoveries for example about the Tarxien Temples in 1930, as well as books about Maltese History: in 1925 he published Il-Gzejjer ta' Malta u l-Grajja Taghhom.

Zammit also made a great contribution to Maltese literature, publishing several short stories about Maltese life.

He was married to Aloisia Barbaro di San Giorgio and had two children, Charles and Sophia. He died on 2 November 1935.

1916 - Tarxien Temples excavated by Sir Temi Zammit

The Malta Independent 1998
"Moments in Maltese History" published by Standard Publications Ltd.

Above: Early archaeologists at work on the excavation of Tarxien temple complex, photographed by Sir Themistocles Zammit

Sir Themistocles Zammit in the summer 1916

Pictures courtesy of the
National Museum of Archaeology

When Sir Themistocles Zammit published an account of his excavations of a large megalithic temple complex in Tarxien, it caused a sensation both locally and abroad.

Besides its immediate archaeological value, which is inestimable, the Tarxien discovery proved to be a landmark in the context of Malta's search for identity. It established beyond shadow of doubt the existence of a complex ancient culture which flourished in Malta - even though it would take another 50 years to date the remains to around 3,000 B.C. - and also marked a transition in the way Malta looked at its own history and cultural heritage. The general interest cultivated by the finds gave rise for the first time to a public consciousness of Malta's wealth of history, as well as a need for heritage management, including the promulgation of laws and measures to protect and preserve monuments. Meanwhile, Sir Zammit's thoroughness of method paved the way for a new scientific approach to archaeology.

Unlike other megalithic structures such as Hagar Qim, the Tarxien complex had over the centuries been completely buried under silt and soil. By 1900, the entire area was a tract of arable land After news of the accidental discovery of the nearby Hypogeum in 1913, it occurred to the proprietor that the large buried stones he kept coming across when trying to plough his fields may also have some archaeological value. He contacted the director of the National Museum, Sir Temi Zammit, who began and impromptu dig on his first inspection of the site. A combination of luck and intuition led him right to the dead centre of the temple, and the stupefied Sir Zammit found himself standing in what appeared to be an apse formed by a semi-circle of enormous hewn stones. For three consecutive summers, Zammit enlisted the help of local farmers and townspeople for an excavation project which, for sheer size and scope, was unprecedented in Malta. By 1920, he had identified and carried out restoration work on five separate but interconnected temples, all yielding a remarkable collection of artefacts - including the famous "fat lady" statue, and several unique examples of prehistoric relief.

The discovery firmly established Sir Temi Zammit's international reputation, and today, his findings are on permanent display at the National Museum of Archaeology.