Paul Faure (; 1 January 1916 in
Paris – 13 July 2007) was a distinguished
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
archaeologist and
philologist. He worked extensively on the history and linguistics of the Mediterranean, and especially of
Crete and of the
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, whose earliest beginnings were from 3500BC, with the complex urban civilization beginning around 2000BC, and then declining from 1450BC ...
.
Education
He studied at the Lycée ''Montaigne'', and at the Lycée ''Louis-le-Grand'' in Paris. Later, he graduated from
École normale supérieure.
He started to teach at various French Lycees in 1943. He taught at French Universities starting from 1955. His doctoral thesis was under the guidance of Dr.
Charles Picard
Charles Picard (7 June 1883 – 15 December 1965) was a prominent Classical archaeologist and historian of ancient Greek art. He is best known for his multi-volume, monumental survey, ''Manuel d'archéologie grecque: La sculpture.'' Volume I (7- ...
.
In 1967, he became professor of Greek language and civilization at the University Blaise Pascal at Clermont-Ferrand. He eventually became Doctor Honoris Causa at the
University of Athens.
Work
During his life as a scientist, Faure was connected with expeditions and studies of history, historical geography, and linguistics of the
Mediterranean and
Near East
The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...
. He has worked and published extensively on topics related to
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, whose earliest beginnings were from 3500BC, with the complex urban civilization beginning around 2000BC, and then declining from 1450BC ...
, particularly on the interpretation of the
Linear A writing system.
He started to work in Crete in 1953, and prepared an extensive catalogue of ancient sites. He also explored many Cretan caves, and worked on the historical geography of Crete.
Faure has advanced the hypothesis that the language written in Linear A was a pre-Greek
Indo-European language
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch ...
.
[P. Faure (1984), "Du Caractère indo-européen de la langue écrite en Crète à l'âge du bronze moyen." ''Études Indo-Européennes'' 8: 1-23.] He has also proposed a deciphering of the
Phaistos disc.
With a group of friends, Faure worked on recreations of many of
Alexander the Great's military campaigns in the Near and Middle East.
His bibliography comprises more than 70 articles and books, published between 1961 and 2003.
Faure was made an honorary citizen of
Iraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban A ...
,
Crete.
Awards
*Chevalier de la
Légion d'honneur
*Officier de l'
Ordre national du Mérite
*Commandeur des
Palmes académiques Palmes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Sir Brian Palmes, English landowner and politician
*Sir Guy Palmes, English politician
* Brian Palmes MP
*Lieutenant General Francis Palmes
Lieutenant-General Francis Palmes MP ( ...
Major published works
*1964 - Faure, Paul. Fonctions des Cavernes Crétoises. École française d'Athènes, Travaux et mémoires 14.E. de Boccard, Paris.
*1973 - Faure, Paul. La vie quotidienne en Crète au temps de Minos (1500 av.J.-C.). Hachette, Paris.
*1975 - Faure, Paul. La vie quotidienne en Grèce au temps de la Guerre de Troie (1250 avant Jésus-Christ). Hachette, Paris.
*1976 - Faure, Paul (translated by Isolde and K. F. Eisen). Kreta. Das Leben im Reich des Minos. Reclam, Stuttgart.
*1982 - Faure, Paul. Henri Schliemann: Une vie d'archéologue. Jean Cyrille Godefroy, Paris.
*1989 - Faure, Paul. Recherches de toponymie crétoise. Opera Selecta. Adolf M. Hakkert, Amsterdam.
*1990 - Faure, Paul (translated by Barbara Brumm). Magie der Düfte. Eine Kulturgeschichte der Wohlgerüche. Von den Pharaonen zu den Römern. Artemis Verlag, München and Zürich.
*1992 - Faure, Paul (editor and translator). Henri Schliemann: Une vie d'archéologue. Jean-Cyrille Godefroy, Paris, France.
*1996 - Faure, Paul. (Sifis Kamaris, translator). Iraklion: Vikelea Vivliothiki.
References
External links
Nestor Bibliographical Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faure, Paul
1916 births
2007 deaths
Scientists from Paris
20th-century French archaeologists
Academic staff of Blaise Pascal University