During a lecture given by archaeologist Anton Bugeja at the Żejtun Art and Culture Hall on October 29 it was clear that this sizeable town has produced some eminent personalities versed in archaeology, accurate reporting and photography. They all had an eye for detail, and little escaped their attention. They were, above all, interested in Malta’s history and prehistory.
Three personalities stand out. First, Rev Fr John (Dun Ġwann) Farrugia (1902-1954), who knew the archaeological sites, not only of his immediate area, like the back of his hand. He reported and photographed the now lost menhir at In-Nadur in Marsascala, countless dolmens and ancient tombs and catacombs all over Malta (at Ħal Far, Ta’ Hlantun, It-Tumbata at Luqa, Ta’ Hammut temple near Qalet Marku), and many other archaeological sites, an unknown underground chapel, and he even recovered artifacts from some of them with the blessing of the archaeological authorities.
He often contributed short and concise articles, accompanied by photographs, to The Sunday Times of Malta between 1938 and the early 1950s.
He is not known nationally, but was a worthy researcher, scholar and writer, whose work may need to be recovered and republished.
His close collaborators were Loreto Gravino, a younger man from Żejtun, who was an able photographer and reporter, and Publius Farrugia, also of Żejtun, of about the same age as Mr Gravino.
Mr Gravino emigrated to Australia, but returned Malta at times and brought connoisseurs up-to-date with his valid knowledge of Malta’s and Gozo’s archaeology. Mr Farrugia emigrated to Canada and returned at least once to Malta in the 1970s or 1980s, and met and guided the young Mr Bugeja around a number of archaeological sites. Their knowledge and observations were valuable.
These archaeologists encouraged John Evans and David Trump to embark on their important finds and works. During their time the competent photographer Daniel Cilia offered his contribution by publishing the voluminous work Malta Before History (Miranda Publishers Ltd, Sliema, Malta 2004).
In my opinion, a detailed work about Fr Farrugia’s important contribution to archaeological research still has to be published. Walter Zahra set the ball rolling with his book Storja taż-Żejtun in the late 1960s.