David H. Trump

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David Hilary Trump (born August 27, 1931 , † August 31, 2016 ) was a British archaeologist who became known for his research on the early history of Malta .

Live and act

David Hilary Trump graduated with honors from Pembroke College , Cambridge, with a Bachelor of Archeology degree in 1955 . He continued his studies at the British School at Jerusalem , where he carried out excavations with Kathleen Kenyon , and at the British School at Rome , where he was involved in excavations in La Starza . It was here that a reliable prehistoric sequence could be reconstructed for the first time in southern Italy. Trump's dissertation therefore dealt with the prehistory of central and southern Italy.

From 1954, David Trump took part in numerous excavations on the islands of the Maltese archipelago, Malta and Gozo as an assistant to John Davies Evans . Important finds from Malta's prehistory were discovered. He was involved in the excavation of the Ġgantija temple in the 1950s and directed the excavation of the temple of Skorba . From 1958 to 1963 he was the curator of the National Museum of Archeology in Valletta . During this time he used the radiocarbon dating of finds from Scorba, on the basis of which he postulated two new phases in Maltese prehistory and created a complete chronology of their phases. From 1986 to 1994 he was involved in the excavations of the stone circle of Xagħra . In 1997 he retired.

Scientific theses

With regard to the grooves at Clapham Junction , he took the view that these were cart ruts from the Bronze Age , dating back to 1000 BC. BC originated. He concluded this from the fact that Punic tombs from that time interrupt the traces, which leads to the conclusion that the traces must have been made before the graves were excavated.

He was particularly interested in the dating of ceramic finds , which is why he sometimes called himself a pot man .

Last years and death

His last visit to Malta was in December 2015 at the Neolithic site in Xrobb l-Ghagin . He returned to the UK to vote against the UK leaving the EU . After that, his health deteriorated noticeably.

Private

David Trump was married to Bridget, who is also an archaeologist. The two met in the 1960s during the excavations at In-Nuffara . Bridget Trump assisted her husband in his subsequent excavations and publications. The marriage has three sons.

Aphorisms

David Trump was known among archaeologists for his succinct aphorisms . Examples from a lecture in 2014:

  • “ When I found a roll of bread in the ashes of a tower burnt some 1,700 years ago, I were more excited than when I stumbled upon a gold earring. ”(German:“ When I found a charred bun in the ashes of a tower that burned down about 1700 years ago, I was more excited than if I had tripped over a gold earring. ”)
  • “ Information is much more interesting and valuable than gold. "(German:" Information is much more interesting and valuable than gold ")

Publications (selection)

  • Skorba: A Neolithic Temple in Malta. Society of Antiquaries of London
  • Scorba. Oxford University Press (1966)
  • Malta. An Archaeological Guide. Faber et Faber, Londres (1972)
  • The Penguin Dictionary of Archeology. Penguin Books Ltd (1972)
  • Malta. Nagel Publishers (1980)
  • Prehistory of the Mediterranean. Yale University Press (1980)
  • Malta, Prehistory and Temples. Midsea Books Ltd (2003)
  • Greece and Rome Victorious, 500 BC-200 BC Macmillan Publishers
  • The American Heritage Guide to Archeology. American Heritage Press
  • A Dictionary of Archeology. Penguin Books Ltd,
  • Ancient Rome. Granada Publishing
  • The Atlas of Early Man. Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Awards

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Dr. David Trump, FSA, UOM (1931-2016). Division of Archeology, University of Cambridge, September 8, 2016, archived from the original January 14, 2017 ; accessed on October 14, 2019 (English).
  2. ↑ a b Malta's archeology icon dies. In: Times of Malta. September 1, 2016, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b Farewell to David Trump. September 1, 2016, accessed October 14, 2019 .
  4. ^ A b c Sarah Carabott: Archaeologist is on a roll with tale of ancient bread. In: Times of Malta. Retrieved October 14, 2019 .
  5. ^ A b c Daniel Cilia : David Trump. In: Times of Malta. September 4, 2016, accessed October 14, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Trump, David H.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Trump, David Hilary (full name); Trump, David
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British archaeologist
DATE OF BIRTH August 27, 1931
DATE OF DEATH August 31, 2016