Henri Arnold Seyrig (; 10 November 1895 – 21 January 1973) was a French archaeologist,

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...

, and historian. He was the general director of antiquities of Syria and Lebanon since 1929, and director, for more than twenty years, of the Institute of Archaeology of Beirut.; "Henri Seyrig", in ''Je m'appelle

Byblos Byblos ( ; gr, Βύβλος), also known as Jbeil or Jubayl ( ar, جُبَيْل, Jubayl, locally ; phn, 𐤂𐤁𐤋, , probably ), is a city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is believed to have been first occupied between 880 ...

'',

Jean-Pierre Thiollet Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist. Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...

, H&D (2005), p. 257;

Early life

Henri was born in Héricourt, France to a liberal bourgeois industrial family. His family moved to

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...

when his father joined the family business, he was schooled in German. He was later sent to a French Protestant private boarding school in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, Ecole des Roches, Seyrig continued his education in English at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

until 1914.; "Henri Seyrig", in ''Je m'appelle

'',

, H&D (2005), p. 257; During World War I, Seyrig fought at

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

and was decorated. In 1917 Seyrig joined the Orient contingent in

Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

where he had his first encounter with archeology and left his family business. He then attended the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

where he presented a thesis about the Homeric House and in 1922 was admitted to the

French School at Athens The French School at Athens (french: École française d’Athènes, EfA; el, Γαλλική Σχολή Αθηνών ''Gallikí Scholí Athinón'') is one of the seventeen foreign archaeological institutes operating in Athens, Greece. History ...

where he spent seven years as a member and was promoted to secretary general's office.; "Henri Seyrig", in ''Je m'appelle

'',

, H&D (2005), p. 257;

Career

In 1929, Seyrig was called recommended by the master of Levantine archaeology

René Dussaud René Dussaud (; December 24, 1868 – March 17, 1958) was a French Orientalist, archaeologist, and epigrapher. Among his major works are studies on the religion of the Hittites, the Hurrians, the Phoenicians and the Syriacs. He became curator ...

and was appointed General director of antiquities of Syria and Lebanon which were under French mandate. Seyrig created the French institute of archaeology in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

which he headed for 20 years. He moved to New York City in 1942 where he worked as a special envoy of The

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

Government until the end of the war then he returned to Beirut.; "Henri Seyrig", in ''Je m'appelle

'',

, H&D (2005), p. 257; Throughout the 1950s/60s he was a visiting scholar invited by the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, living part of the year in the United States. In 1967 he left Beirut and retired in Switzerland and continued with his wife, Hermine de Saussure, to spend part of the year in Princeton. Their children were actress

Delphine Seyrig Delphine Claire Beltiane Seyrig (; 10 April 1932 – 15 October 1990) was a Lebanese-born French actress and film director. She came to prominence in Alain Resnais's 1961 film ''Last Year at Marienbad'', and later acted in films by Francois ...

and composer Francis Seyrig. He was awarded the

medal of the Royal Numismatic Society The Medal of the Royal Numismatic Society was first awarded in 1883. It is awarded by the Royal Numismatic Society and is one of the highest markers of recognition given to numismatists. The President and Council award the Medal annually to an "indi ...

in 1961.Medals: Royal Numismatic Society
numismatics.org.uk; accessed 10 March 2017.

Publications

* * * * *

References

External links

Profile
production-scientifique.bnf.fr; accessed 21 February 2016.
Henri Seyrig
on data.bnf.fr {{DEFAULTSORT:Seyrig, Henri 1895 births 1973 deaths People from Héricourt, Haute-Saône French Calvinist and Reformed Christians French archaeologists French military personnel of World War I Directors of the Louvre Members of the French School at Athens 20th-century archaeologists Phoenician-punic archaeologists Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy