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), 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, head of Egyptian Antiquities, Clédat was sent in search of Christian monuments of Egypt. In 1901, he began excavating
Bawit
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, imagesize =
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, image_flag = Governadorat_d%27Asyut.png
, flag_size ...
(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 and
papyri
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a d ...
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
Deir or DEIR may refer to:
*Ad Deir or The Monastery, a building in Petra, Jordan
* Tell Deir, an archaeological site in Lebanon
* Deir ez-Zor or Ad-Deir, a city in Syria
* Draft environmental impact report, a document required in United States en ...
,
St. Simeon Monastery
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Stanza, in poetry
* Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band
* Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise
* Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...
,
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 ...
,
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,
Sohag,
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-ai ...
,
Elephantine,
Tell el-Herr,
Tell el-Maskhouta,
Mahemdiah and
El Qantara. 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
Pelusium (Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian: ; cop, /, romanized: , or , romanized: ; grc, :wikt:Πηλούσιον, Πηλουσιον, Pēlousion; la, :wikt:Pelusium, Pēlūsium; Arabic: ; Egyptian Arabic: ) was an important city in ...
, and made a sketch map of the site and also discovered an inscription mentioning Emperor
Hadrian
Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman '' municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispan ...
.
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