Adventurer, traveler, and scholar. Archaeological discovery of Syria. 17th-21st century.
CNRS| N° d'inventaire | 23913 |
| Format | 14 x 22 |
| Détails | 250 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2021 |
| Etat | nine |
| ISBN | 9782271137081 |
In Syria, a land of passage for millennia, each civilization has left its mark and thousands of sites have been recorded there. However, it was not until the end of the 17th century that Europeans began to take an interest in these remains. The description of Palmyra by Pastor Halifax in 1691, then that of the "antiquarians" Robert Wood and James Dawkins in 1751, as well as the travelogue of Richard Pococke in 1737, were at the origin of a real craze for Syrian ruins. Until the middle of the 19th century, adventurers and scholars did not hesitate to venture into unexplored regions, such as the Hauran or the Euphrates valley. Travelers were followed by scholars to study this rich heritage and shed light on a poorly documented history. France's mandate over Syria and Lebanon after the First World War led to the opening of numerous archaeological and epigraphic sites, many of which were still active in 2011. At that time, some twenty international missions were working to exhume and showcase this exceptional heritage. But the massive destruction and looting caused by ten years of war have since caused irreparable losses. The author tells us about this colorful archaeological adventure and its main discoveries since the 17th century.
In Syria, a land of passage for millennia, each civilization has left its mark and thousands of sites have been recorded there. However, it was not until the end of the 17th century that Europeans began to take an interest in these remains. The description of Palmyra by Pastor Halifax in 1691, then that of the "antiquarians" Robert Wood and James Dawkins in 1751, as well as the travelogue of Richard Pococke in 1737, were at the origin of a real craze for Syrian ruins. Until the middle of the 19th century, adventurers and scholars did not hesitate to venture into unexplored regions, such as the Hauran or the Euphrates valley. Travelers were followed by scholars to study this rich heritage and shed light on a poorly documented history. France's mandate over Syria and Lebanon after the First World War led to the opening of numerous archaeological and epigraphic sites, many of which were still active in 2011. At that time, some twenty international missions were working to exhume and showcase this exceptional heritage. But the massive destruction and looting caused by ten years of war have since caused irreparable losses. The author tells us about this colorful archaeological adventure and its main discoveries since the 17th century.