Honorary board Jesuit priest and archaeologist Gottfried Zumofen

From Salgesch to Beirut: the life and legacy of Gottfried Zumoffen

Gottfried Zumoffen, born in Salgesch as the son of Joseph Zumofen, an authorized signatory, and Anna Maria, née Cina, had a remarkable educational and professional career. It is not known why his birth name Zumofen was given a second "f". The fact is that he himself signed his writings Zumoffen. 

His education began with elementary school in Salgesch and studies at the teacher training college in Sion. Financial reasons forced him to abandon his subsequent studies at the college in Brig.

A journey through cultures and sciences

In 1871, Gottfried joined the Jesuit order in France and continued his academic education. He attended a grammar school again and studied philosophy. His path then led him to North Wales, where he studied theology and was ordained a priest. He then worked as a priest in southern England and later took on the role of prefect of a Jesuit college in France, where he also worked as a librarian and French teacher.

Paths of discovery: the life of Gottfried Zumoffen, discoverer of history and science

His journey continued to the Ottoman Empire. He learned Turkish and Arabic and took up a position as prefect and lecturer in physics, chemistry and natural history at the University of Beirut. With the outbreak of the First World War, all Jesuits had to leave Lebanon. Gottfried moved on to Cairo and taught chemistry and physics. He eventually returned to Switzerland and worked at the University of Bern.

Crossing borders: Gottfried Zumoffen and the beginnings of Lebanese archaeology

In addition to his teaching activities, Gottfried was a passionate researcher. He wrote books and contributed significantly to the discovery and exploration of archaeological sites in Lebanon. He is considered the founder of Stone Age research in the region and created the first geological map of Lebanon. An important archaeological site was named "Abri Zumoffen" in his honor.

The crowning achievement of his scientific geological, archaeological and paleontological life's work was the publication in Paris in 1926 of a monograph on the geology of Lebanon, on which Father Zumofen had mapped around two dozen archaeological sites. 

(Source: Karl Zimmermann: Gottfried Zumoffen (1845-1928) and his archaeological research in Lebanon, in: Blätter aus der Walliser Geschichte, 1988, pp. 273-285)