Open AccessJulien Poinssot and His Descendants
Author(s) -
María Fernández Portaencasa
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
revista de historiografía
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.108
H-Index - 4
eISSN - 2445-0057
pISSN - 1885-2718
DOI - 10.20318/revhisto.2021.6555
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , bureaucracy , excavation , colonialism , history , classics , archaeology , ancient history , sociology , law , political science , politics
This paper discusses the scientific lives of Julien, Louis and Claude Poinssot (grandfather, father and son) and their important contribution to the study of ancient religions in North Africa, especially in Tunisia, including their intense engagement with the ancient Thugga. Julien, who had been trained as a notary, soon became a pioneering epigraphist of Proconsularis. As a result of the colonial context in which he worked and the bureaucratic problems he encountered, his archaeological career was brief, albeit intensive. Nevertheless, his vocation was inherited by his descendants, Louis and Claude, who eventually became Directors of Antiquities and of Museums. Their work left a remarkable legacy, including the Mahdia underwater excavations and the exploration of the Dougga Capitol.