John Davies Evans facts for kids
John Davies Evans (born January 22, 1925 – died July 4, 2011) was an English archaeologist and a smart academic. He was famous for studying the very old history of the Mediterranean area. He especially focused on the ancient cultures of Malta. An archaeologist is someone who studies human history by digging up old things like tools, buildings, and pottery. Prehistory means the time before written records existed.
Evans was also the Director of the Institute of Archaeology in London. He led this important place from 1975 until he retired in 1989. The Institute of Archaeology is one of the biggest archaeology departments in the world. During his time as Director, he helped it become part of University College London. He also received an award called the OBE for his important work.
Early Life and Education
John Davies Evans went to the Liverpool Institute when he was younger. He was a very bright student. At just 17 years old, he won a special scholarship to study English at Pembroke College, Cambridge. This meant he could go to a top university.
World War II Service
However, his university studies were put on hold because of the Second World War. During the war, John Evans worked at a secret place called Bletchley Park. This was a very important place where clever people worked to break secret codes used by the enemy. John Evans was part of the team that helped break the daily codes from the Enigma machine. This work was super important for the war effort.
Discoveries in Malta
After the war, in the 1940s and 1950s, John Evans did a lot of exciting work. He traveled to Malta, an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. There, he dug up (or excavated) many important ancient sites. These sites included the famous Megalithic sites. "Megalithic" means they were built with very large stones. These temples are thousands of years old and tell us a lot about the people who lived in Malta long, long ago. His work helped us understand more about these ancient civilizations.
