Théodore Ber (7 March 1820 – 21 November 1900), was a French

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...

who spent most of his adult life in Peru. Although an amateur, his work was appreciated by some scholars and officially recognized by the French government.

Early life and move to Peru

Théodore Ber was born in

Figeac Figeac (; oc, Fijac) is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France. Figeac is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Figeac is on the via Podiensis, a major hiking medieval pilgrimage trail which is part of the Way of St. ...

in a family of tailors. He was sent to

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

to learn the trade as an apprentice to his uncle, also a tailor. A talented young man, he was hired by an atelier in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, and later established his own company for exporting clothing to South America. Ber had no formal schooling but learned about world politics by reading

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

newspapers and books. After a stormy divorce, he moved to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

in 1860 and Peru in 1863, where, notwithstanding his lack of education, he found employment as professor of French language and history. He also maintained his socialist ideas, and when he learned about the revolutionary situation in France, he returned to his home country and joined the

Commune of Paris The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

, serving for a short period as personal secretary of Commune leader

Louis Charles Delescluze Louis Charles Delescluze (; 2 October 1809 – 25 May 1871) was a French revolutionary leader, journalist, and military commander of the Paris Commune. Biography Early life Delecluze was born at Dreux, Eure-et-Loir. He studied law in Paris, an ...

. After the fall of the Commune, Ber escaped again to Peru in 1871, where he worked again as a teacher and founded a French language magazine, ''L’étoile du Sud''. In the mid-1870s, he developed an interest in archaeology and anthropology and participated in the first excavations of the archaeological site of Ancon. He took notes of the excavations, and sent several boxes with artifacts and comments to French anthropologist

Paul Broca Pierre Paul Broca (, also , , ; 28 June 1824 – 9 July 1880) was a French physician, anatomist and anthropologist. He is best known for his research on Broca's area, a region of the frontal lobe that is named after him. Broca's area is involve ...

, whose books he had read and appreciated. To Ber's great surprise, Broca reacted with enthusiasm, published his texts in his ''Revue d'anthropologie'', and suggested to the French government to appoint Ber as head of a French archaeological mission to Peru. Ber got his official appointment on July 9, 1875. Thanks to Broca, Ber also became a member of the

Society of Anthropology of Paris The Society of Anthropology of Paris (french: Société d’Anthropologie de Paris) is a French learned society for anthropology founded by Paul Broca in 1859. Broca served as the Secrétaire-général of SAP, and in that capacity responded to a l ...

Expedition to Tiwanaku

In Peru, Ber found himself in competition with French-Austrian explorer

Charles Wiener Charles Wiener (1851–1913) was an Austrian-French scientist-explorer. Born in Vienna, he is perhaps best known as the explorer who traveled extensively in Peru, climbed the Illimani and came close to re-discovering Machu Picchu. Biography His ...

, who had also obtained French official support for his activities. Wiener denounced Ber as a former member of the Commune, creating problems for him in France. While still formally working for the French government, Ber obtained financial support from American businessman

Henry Meiggs Henry Meiggs (July 7, 1811 – September 30, 1877), was a promotor/entrepreneur and railroad builder born in Boston, Massachusetts Business career Lumber Meiggs came to New York City in 1835 and began a lumber business that was ruined by the ...

for an archaeological expedition to

Tiwanaku Tiwanaku ( es, Tiahuanaco or ) is a Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia near Lake Titicaca, about 70 kilometers from La Paz, and it is one of the largest sites in South America. Surface remains currently cover around 4 square kilo ...

, Bolivia, in 1876–1877, against the promise of donating the artifacts he will find, on behalf of Meiggs, to Washington's

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

and the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The expedition to Tiwanaku was cut short by the violent hostility of the local population, instigated by the Catholic parish priest, but with the help of photographer Georg von Grumbkow, Ber was able to send to Paris a set of pictures documenting the status of the ruins of Tiwanaku in the 1870s. His ill-fated expedition to Tiwanaku was criticized by the professional archaeological establishment, and he was largely dismissed as an amateur. His French friends, however, managed to have him re-appointed for short-term official missions to Peru in 1875 and 1890, and invited to international conferences. In his last years, he was a lonely figure. A lifelong member of

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, he had quarreled with his local lodge in Lima and no longer attended the meetings, and his political opinions had also antagonized other members of the French community in Peru.

Death and legacy

Ber died in Lima in 1900. His name had been almost forgotten in France, although his articles in scholarly journals such as the ''Revue d'anthropologie'', the ''Archives de la société Américaine de France'' and the ''Bulletin de la Société de Géographie de Paris'' have been rediscovered and appreciated in the late 20th century. In 2014, the

Champollion Museum The Champollion Museum (french: Musée Champollion) is located in Figeac, Lot. It houses a collection devoted to Figeac's most famous son, Jean-François Champollion. It was inaugurated 19 December 1986 in the presence of President François ...

in his native

consecrated an exhibition to his explorations, ''40 ans dans les andes: L'itinéraire oublié de Théodore Ber (1820-1900)'', and published an illustrated catalog.

Selected publications

* "Les populations préhistoriques d'Ancón," ''Revue d'Anthropologie'', 1875, 54-62. * "Note sur les Indiens du Pérou"," ''Compte rendu du Congrès international des américanistes'', 1875, 449-462. * "Le rio Casa (Pérou)," ''Bulletin de la Société de Géographie'', 1878, 181-184 * "Recherches ethnographiques sur la Bolivie et l'ancien Pérou," ''Congrès international des sciences ethnographiques'', 1881, 688-697. * "Tiahuanaco," ''Bulletin de la Société de Géographie'', 1882, 577-592.

References

External links