Jean Clédat (7 May 1871 – 29 July 1943) was a French Egyptologist, archaeologist and philologist. He became a resident at the (French Institute of Oriental Archaeology). At various times, Clédat's expeditions was sponsored by (the
Suez Canal Company
Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same b ...
), the
Supreme Council of Antiquities, the , and the itself.
Biography
Clédat was born in in 1871. Thanks to the archaeological program instilled by
Gaston Maspero
Sir Gaston Camille Charles Maspero (23 June 1846 – 30 June 1916) was a French Egyptologist known for popularizing the term "Sea Peoples" in an 1881 paper.
Maspero's son, Henri Maspero, became a notable sinologist and scholar of East Asia.
...
, head of Egyptian Antiquities, Clédat was sent in search of Christian monuments of Egypt. In 1901, he began excavating
Bawit (French: Baouît) and in the winter of 1903–4, he uncovered the Bawit monastery of Apa Apollo, founded in the fourth century.
He made further excavations at Bawit until 1905; the
ostraca
An ostracon ( Greek: ''ostrakon'', plural ''ostraka'') is a piece of pottery, usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In an archaeological or epigraphical context, ''ostraca'' refer to sherds or even small pieces of ...
and
papyri that he unearthed are now housed in the and the
Ismalia Museum.
He was responsible for excavating many prestigious archaeological sites in Egypt, including
Deir Abu Hennis,
St. Simeon Monastery,
Aswan
Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate.
Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the ...
,
Asyut
AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut'' ( ar, أسيوط ' , from ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at ...
,
Akhmim
Akhmim ( ar, أخميم, ; Akhmimic , ; Sahidic/Bohairic cop, ) is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. Referred to by the ancient Greeks as Khemmis or Chemmis ( grc, Χέμμις) and Panopolis ( grc, Πανὸς πόλις and Π ...
,
Sohag
Sohag ( , ), also spelled as ''Sawhāj'', ''Suhag'' and ''Suhaj'', is a city on the west bank of the Nile in Egypt. It has been the capital of Sohag Governorate since 1960, before which the capital was Girga and the name of the governorate wa ...
,
Luxor
Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''.
Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...
,
Elephantine,
Tell el-Herr,
Tell el-Maskhouta,
Mahemdiah and
El Qantara
El Qantara ( ar, القنطرة, al qantara, the bridge) is a northeastern Egyptian city on both sides of the Suez Canal, in the Egyptian governorate of Ismailia, northeast of Cairo and south of Port Said. The two parts of the city are connec ...
. At
Qasr-Gheit (North Sinai), Clédat concluded that it had been a Nabataean station on a secondary caravan route from Arabia to Egypt.
In the second half of 1904, Prince
Augustus of Arenberg, on behalf of the Board of Directors of the , committed Clédat as director of the company's archaeological excavations. In 1910, Clédat excavated at
Pelusium in
Tell el-Farama, and made a sketch map of the site and also discovered an inscription mentioning Emperor
Hadrian.
At various times, Clédat's expeditions were sponsored by others, including the
Supreme Council of Antiquities, the Comite, and the
Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale
The Institut français d'archéologie orientale (or IFAO), also known as the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, is a French research institute based in Cairo, Egypt, dedicated to the study of the archaeology, history and language ...
.
Clédat was a prolific author. In his essay, "" (1919), he described Egyptian methods of defense and offense upon the present Suez Canal route in ancient times. In (1910), the remains of a Byzantine fortress at the same locality are illustrated by a plan, and the Israelite passage of the Red Sea includes an excellent map.
Clédat was quite well known for his drawings and outlines.
He was a talented artist, and regularly published his work, leaving valuable books still being studied today. After his death in 1943, his archives were donated to the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
by his daughter. A street is named after him in his hometown.
Partial works
* , 1904–1999.
* (1872)
* (1898)
* (1899)
* (1899)
* (1899)
* (1901)
* (1901)
* (1901)
* (1902)
* (1902)
* (1904)
* (1910)
* (1910)
* (1911)
* (1913)
* (1913)
* (1915)
* (1915)
* (1916)
* (1919)
* (1925)
Literature
* ''L'Égypte en Périgord. Dans les pas de Jean Clédat. Catalogue raisonné de l'exposition.'', Paris – Louvain, Editions Peeters, 1991, S. 1–17.
* Dawson, Warren R. ; Uphill, Eric P. ; Bierbrier, M. L., ''Who was who in Egyptology'', London : The Egypt Exploration Society, 1995 (3. Auflage), S. 101.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cledat, Jean
1871 births
1943 deaths
French Egyptologists
French archaeologists
French philologists
Members of the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale
People from Périgueux