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Joseph Déchelette (8 January 1862 – 3 October 1914) was a French archaeologist, prehistorian, and museum curator. He particularly distinguished himself as an early scholar of ancient ceramology. He is among the first to have made the connection between the
La Tène culture The La Tène culture (; ) was a Iron Age Europe, European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BC to the Roman Republic, Roman conquest in the 1st century BC), succeeding the early Iron Age ...
and the
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
civilisation. He authored an important work covering the full range of the prehistory of France, ''Le Manuel d’archéologie préhistorique, celtique et gallo-romaine'' (1908–14).Daniel 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2022.


Life


Family

Joseph Jean Marie Déchelette was the son of Benoît Déchelette (1816–1888), industrialist, owner of the ''Déchelette-Despierres'' weaving house, and vice-president of the Chambre de commerce de Roanne, by his wife Charlotte Despierres (1826–1909). He was the younger brother of Louis Déchelette (1848–1920), Bishop of Évreux from 1913 to 1920. He married Jeanne Bonnier (1860–1957) on 3 May 1905 in
La Pacaudière La Pacaudière () is a commune in the Loire department in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Loire department The following is a list of the 320 communes of the Loire department of France. The communes cooperate in th ...
.


Career

He studied at the ''collège'' of
Saint-Chamond St Chamond may refer to: * Saint Chamond otherwise Annemund, bishop of Lyon * Saint-Chamond, Loire, a French town named after him * Saint-Chamond (manufacturer), informal name for the ''Compagnie des forges et aciéries de la marine et d'Homéco ...
run by the Marist fathers, and then undertook military service at
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
. He began his working life as a sales representative for the family business. However, the passion for archaeology, into which he had been initiated as a teenager by his maternal uncle Jacques-Gabriel Bulliot, an eminent figure in the '' Société éduenne des lettres, sciences et arts'', quickly took over, although he continued working for the family business until 1899.In 1884, he joined
La Diana ''The Seven Books of the Diana'' (Spanish: ''Los siete libros de la Diana'') is a pastoral romance written in Spanish by the Portuguese author Jorge de Montemayor. The romance was first published in 1559, though later editions expanded upon the o ...
, an archaeological and historical society based in Montbrison, whose aim was to identify and study the antiquities and monuments of the
Forez Forez (; ) is a Provinces of France, former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire (department), Loire ''département in France, département'' and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme ''dépa ...
region, south of Roanne. He became an inspector on behalf of the
Société française d'archéologie Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A. Lactalis is the largest dairy pr ...
. In 1899, Déchelette definitively abandoned his work in his father's business to devote himself exclusively to
protohistoric Protohistory is the period between prehistory and written history, during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures that have developed writing have noted the existence of those pre-literate groups in their ...
archaeology. From 1892 to 1914, he was curator of the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie in Roanne. This municipal museum, founded in 1844, was until then only an accumulation of heterogeneous objects from various periods stored in the attic of the town hall. Joseph Déchelette helped transform it into a modern museum where the works were documented and compared. The collections were enriched by contributions from regional discoveries, the destruction of old buildings, donations from collectors and purchases, sometimes made with its own funds. On his death, Joseph Déchelette bequeathed to the city of Roanne his personal collections and his library, as well as a bequest of 100,000 gold francs for the construction of a new museum. His widow donated to the city of Roanne the former house of François de Valence de Minardière (1764–1829), which Joseph Déchelette bought in 1896, the ground floor of which his widow continued to occupy until her death in 1957. The new museum was installed there in 1923 and was renamed the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie Joseph-Déchelette in his honour.


Archaeology

From February to April 1893, Joseph Déchelette made a trip to Egypt from which he returned loaded with the mummy of Nesyamun, supposedly dead at the age of fifteen and who, during her lifetime, sang in Thebes for the god
Amon Amon may refer to: Mythology * Amun, an Ancient Egyptian deity, also known as Amon and Amon-Ra * Aamon, a Goetic demon People Mononym * Amon of Judah ( 664– 640 BC), king of Judah * Amon of Toul ( 375– 423 AD), second recorded Bishop of ...
. Déchelette was the first to have demonstrated a cultural unity north of the Alps towards the end of the
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
by comparing the results of the archaeological excavations of four ''
oppida An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...
'':
Bibracte Bibracte, a Gauls, Gallic ''oppidum'' (fortified settlement), was the capital of the Aedui and one of the most important hillforts in Gaul. It was located near modern Autun in Burgundy, France. The archaeological culture, material culture of the ...
at Mont Beuvray,
Manching Manching () is a municipality in the district of Pfaffenhofen, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Paar, 7 km southeast of Ingolstadt. In the late Iron Age, there was a Celtic settlement, the Oppidum of Manching, on the locati ...
in Bavaria, Stradonice in Bohemia, and Szent Vid-hegy in Hungary. He created the expression ''civilisation des oppida'' ("civilisation of the oppida") which today defines the period of the end of Celtic civilisation on the European mainland, in an area from southern England to central Europe. Déchelette was not the first to examine the site of La Graufesenque, nor the first to publish on the finds there. But he was the one who signed the "birth certificate" of the site in 1903, showing it for what it is: a “
Ruteni The Ruteni were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the southern part of the Massif Central, around present-day Rodez, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Rutenos'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), ''R̔outēnoì'' (Ῥ ...
factory whose importance ��was not equalled by any other manufacturing centre of Gaul or even of the Roman Empire, in the first century". In his 1904 work devoted to the ornate vases of Gaul, he made a compilation of the discoveries of ancient ceramics where the analysis attached both to the decoration and to the form, a typology which is still used today. Between 1906 and 1914, he wrote a ''Manuel d'archéologie préhistorique celtique et gallo-romaine'', in several volumes, the first synthesis of archaeology in Gaul and a work of rare precision and conciseness. This book contains truly new ideas, and is considered the foundation of modern, scientific archaeology. He also visited the site of Altamira in Spain, which he baptised in 1908 the "Sistine Chapel of
Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...
art". The expression was taken up by
Henri Breuil Henri Édouard Prosper Breuil (28 February 1877 – 14 August 1961), often referred to as Abbé Breuil (), was a French Catholic Church, Catholic priest, archaeologist, anthropologist, ethnologist and geologist. He studied cave art in the Somme ( ...
to nickname the cave of
Lascaux Lascaux ( , ; , "Lascaux Cave") is a network of caves near the village of Montignac, Dordogne, Montignac, in the Departments of France, department of Dordogne in southwestern France. Over 600 Parietal art, parietal cave painting, wall paintin ...
the "Sistine Chapel of the
Périgordian Périgordian is a term for several distinct but related Upper Palaeolithic cultures which are thought by some archaeologists to represent a contiguous tradition. Thought to have existed between c.35,000 BP and c.20,000 BP the Perigordian was th ...
", expressing a direct link with the words of the "late Joseph Déchelette".


Death

In 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War, recalled to the 104th Territorial Infantry Regiment, he requested, despite his advanced age, an assignment to the front to fill the gaps left by the
First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...
. Commissioned as a captain in the 298th Infantry Regiment, he was killed at the front two months after the start of hostilities, on 3 October 1914. He rests today in the national Nécropole nationale du Bois-Roger in Ambleny and his name is inscribed in the
Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...
, among the 560 writers who died for France in the First World War.


Works

* J. D., ''Inscriptions campanaires de l'arrondissement de Roanne'' (Éleuthère Brassart, 1893; 45 pages) * J. D., Éleuthère Brassart, Charles Beauverie, Abbé Reure, and Gabriel Trévoux, ''Les Peintures murales du Moyen Âge et de la Renaissance en Forez'' ( Montbrison: Éleuthère Brassart, 1900; 67 pages) * J. D., ''Le Hradischt de Stradonic en Bohême et les Fouilles de Bibracte, étude d'archéologie comparée'' (
Mâcon Mâcon (), historically Anglicization, anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home t ...
: Protat Brothers, 1901) * J. D., iarchive:lesfouillesdumo00dcgoog/page/n13/mode/2up, ''Les Fouilles du mont Beuvray de 1897 à 1901, compte-rendu suivi de l'inventaire général des monnaies recueillies au Beuvray et du Hradischt de Stradonic en Bohême, étude d'archéologie comparée'' (Paris: Alphonse Picard & Sons, 1904) * J. D., ''Les vases céramiques ornés de la Gaule romaine (Narbonnaise, Aquitaine et Lyonnaise)'', iarchive:lesvasescramiqu00dcgoog/page/n10/mode/2up, vol. 1 (Paris: A. Picard & Sons, 1904; 308 pages)
vol. 2
(380 pages) * J. D., ''Manuel d'archéologie préhistorique, celtique et gallo-romaine'' ** Vol. 1: ''Archéologie préhistorique'' (2 volumes in 4 parts + 2 volumes of appendices, several reissues) (Paris: Alphonse Picard & Sons, 1908; 747 pages) ** Vol. 2: ''Archéologie celtique ou protohistorique'', Part 1
''Âge du Bronze''
(Paris: Alphonse Picard & Sons, 1913; 512 pages) ** Vol. 2: ''Archéologie celtique ou protohistorique'', Part 2
''Premier âge du Fer ou époque de Hallstadt''
(Paris: Alphonse Picard & Sons, 1913; 512 pages) ** Vol. 2: ''Archéologie celtique ou protohistorique'', Part 3
''Second âge du Fer ou époque de la Tène''
(Paris: Alphonse Picard & Sons, 1914; 799 pages) * J. D., Alexandre Parat, Abbé Parat, Dr Brulard, Pierre Bouillerot, and Clément Drioton
''La Collection Millon, antiquités préhistoriques et gallo-romaines''
(Paris: Paul Geuthner, 1913)


Honours and recognition


Honours

*
Chevalier of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...
(2 April 1912)


Prizes

* 1st Médailles des Antiquités at the
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres The () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the . The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions (epigraphy) and historical literature (see Belles-lettres). History ...
for ''Les Vases céramiques ornés de la Gaule romaine'' (1905) *
Prix Lambert The Prix Lambert () was an award given out jointly in France by the Académie française and the Académie des Beaux-Arts. It was created in 1853 and awarded to "men of letters" (or their widows) who had served the public interest. Laureates *1963 ...
of the
Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
(1915) * Prix Logerot of the
Société de Géographie The Société de Géographie (; ), is the world's oldest geographical society. It was founded in 1821 as the first Geographic Society. Since 1878, its headquarters have been at 184 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris. The entrance is marked by two gig ...
(1917; awarded posthumously)


Distinctions

* Member of the Société éduenne des lettres, sciences et arts (1880) * Member of the board of directors of La Diana (1892) * Correspondent of the
Société des Antiquaires de France The Société des Antiquaires de France (Society of Antiquaries of France) is a Parisian historical and archaeological society, founded in 1804 under the name of the Académie celtique (Celtic Academy). It is now based at the Louvre, in the pavil ...
(1893) * Correspondent of the Ministère de l'Instruction publique et des Beaux-Arts (1902) * Correspondent of the
Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques The Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques (CTHS) (''Committee for Historic and Scientific Works'') is a French research institution created by the Minister of Public Education François Guizot on 18 July 1834 for the purpose of 'leading ...
(1901–1914) * Correspondent of the Commission des monuments préhistoriques (28 May 1909) * Divisional Inspector of the Société française d'archéologie (1910–1914) * Corresponding member of the
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres The () is a French learned society devoted to history, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the . The academy's scope was the study of ancient inscriptions (epigraphy) and historical literature (see Belles-lettres). History ...
(22 December 1911) * Corresponding member of the Société d'émulation du Jura (1913–1914) * Member of the Société préhistorique française * Foreign member of the
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut The German Archaeological Institute (, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. Status, tasks and goals The Institute c ...
(1907) * Foreign member of the
Real Academia Española The Royal Spanish Academy (, ; ) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other Hispanopho ...
(1910) * Foreign member of the Kungliga Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien (1911) * Foreign member of the Suomen Numismaattinen Yhdistys (Finnish Numismatic Society)


Degrees

* Doctor ''honoris causa'' of the
University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially ), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1 ...
(28 October 1911)


See also

*
Typology (archaeology) In archaeology, a typology is the result of the classification of things according to their physical characteristics. The products of the classification, i.e. the classes, are also called types. Most archaeological typologies organize portable a ...
*
Terra sigillata Terra sigillata is a term with at least three distinct meanings: as a description of medieval medicinal earth; in archaeology, as a general term for some of the fine red ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface Slip (ceramics), slips made ...


References


Citations


Bibliography

* Daniel, Glyn Edmund (2015)
"Joseph Déchelette"
In ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
''. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. * Darvill, Timothy (2021)
"Déchelette, Joseph"
In ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology''. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press. * Parkyn, E. A. (1915)
"Obituary. Joseph Dechelette"
''Man'', 15. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. pp. 122–124.
"Déchelette, l'archéologue"
(March 2016). ''Musée d'Archéologie nationale''. Ministère de la Culture. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dechelette, Joseph 1862 births 1914 deaths French archaeologists French military personnel killed in World War I