Henri de Contenson
Encyclopedia
Henri de Contenson is a French Archaeologist and was Research Director at CNRS, The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (National Center for Scientific Research), a research organization funded by France
's Ministry of Research.
A student of André Parrot
, Raymond Lantier and André Leroi-Gourhan
, he was Assistant Director of archaeological digs in the Middle East from 1951 to 1976. The results of his work are documented in numerous publications.
National Center for Scientific Research:
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's Ministry of Research.
A student of André Parrot
André Parrot
André Parrot was a French archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East. He led excavations in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.-Biography:...
, Raymond Lantier and André Leroi-Gourhan
André Leroi-Gourhan
André Leroi-Gourhan was a French archaeologist, paleontologist, paleoanthropologist, and anthropologist with an interest in technology and aesthetics and a penchant for philosophical reflection.- Biography :...
, he was Assistant Director of archaeological digs in the Middle East from 1951 to 1976. The results of his work are documented in numerous publications.
Positions held
- 1948-1951: Student of the École du LouvreÉcole du LouvreThe École du Louvre is an institution of higher education and French Grande École located in the Aile de Flore of the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France, and is dedicated to the study of archaeology, art history, anthropology and epigraphy....
: Eastern Archaeology (André ParrotAndré ParrotAndré Parrot was a French archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East. He led excavations in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.-Biography:...
), Prehistoric Archaeology (Raymond Lantier). - 1951-1953: Sstudent of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, Fellow of the "Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres" in 1952-1953, writing a paper on:The Chalcolithic material from Murabba'at caves.
- 1955: Graduated top at the École du Louvres, awarded a "Diplômé de la Section Supérieure" with highest honors and praise for his thesis : The Recent Discoveries from Palestinian Chalcolithic Pottery.
- 1956-1959: Expert Archaeologist for the Imperial government of Ethiopia, Director of excavations in EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. - 1963-1974: Director of the Franco-Syrian archaeological mission in DamascusDamascusDamascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. - 1970-1973: Deputy Director (1970) and Director (1971–1973) of the Archaeological Mission in Ras Shamra (SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
) (UgaritUgaritUgarit was an ancient port city in the eastern Mediterranean at the Ras Shamra headland near Latakia, Syria. It is located near Minet el-Beida in northern Syria. It is some seven miles north of Laodicea ad Mare and approximately fifty miles east of Cyprus...
).
National Center for Scientific Research:
- 1954: Research Intern, 1955: Researcher, 1962: Research Fellow, 1967: Senior Fellow, 1976: Research Director, 1992: Cessation of activity.
Fieldwork
- 1949-1950: Caving in surveys Vicdessos Valley (Ariege), leading to the discovery of prehistoric footprints in La grotte de Niaux (Niaux Cave).
- 1950-1951'1954: Excavations for CRDP, the Centre de Documentation et de Recherches Préhistoriques (Centre for Pre-historic Research and Documentation) with Andre Leroi-GourhanAndré Leroi-GourhanAndré Leroi-Gourhan was a French archaeologist, paleontologist, paleoanthropologist, and anthropologist with an interest in technology and aesthetics and a penchant for philosophical reflection.- Biography :...
in Arcy-sur-CureArcy-sur-CureArcy-sur-Cure is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.The caves of Arcy-sur-Cure just south of the commune, hold the second-oldest cave paintings known, after those of Chauvet Cave. Archeological remains at the Grotte de Renne were taken to provide evidence that...
, Yonne. - 1951-1953: Excavations in the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem with Roland de VauxRoland de VauxFather Roland Guérin de Vaux OP was a French Dominican priest who led the Catholic team that initially worked on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He was the director of the Ecole Biblique, a French Catholic Theological School in East Jerusalem, and he was charged with overseeing research on the scrolls...
at QumranQumranQumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank. It is located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalia...
(JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
), leading the discovery of the Copper ScrollCopper ScrollThe Copper Scroll is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Cave 3 near Khirbet Qumran, but differs significantly from the others. Whereas the other scrolls are written on parchment or papyrus, this scroll is written on metal: copper mixed with about 1 percent tin...
of the cave Q3 (Dead Sea ScrollsDead Sea scrollsThe Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
). - 1953: Surveys on behalf of the Antiquities Department of JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
in the valleys of YarmoukYarmouk* Yarmouk River* Battle of Yarmouk* Yarmouk University in Jordan* Yarmouk , an upscale neighborhood in Iraq* Al-Yarmouk Hospital * Yarmouk , an unofficial Palestinian refugee camp in Syria...
and JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, carrying out three surveys at the sites of Tell esh-Shuna, Tell Abu Habil and Saidiyeh Tell es el Tahta. - 1954-1955: Excavations of the French Archaeological Mission in IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
with Jean Perrot at Bir es-Safadi near Beersheba (BeershebaBeershebaBeersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
). - 1955: Excavations of the permanent Archaeological Mission in LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
with Maurice Dunand at ByblosByblosByblos is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal . It is a Mediterranean city in the Mount Lebanon Governorate of present-day Lebanon under the current Arabic name of Jubayl and was also referred to as Gibelet during the Crusades...
. - 1955, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961: Excavations of the French Archaeological Mission of Enkomi (CyprusCyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
) with Claude Schaeffer. - 1955-1956: Excavations of the French Archaeological Mission in Ras Shamra (SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
) (UgaritUgaritUgarit was an ancient port city in the eastern Mediterranean at the Ras Shamra headland near Latakia, Syria. It is located near Minet el-Beida in northern Syria. It is some seven miles north of Laodicea ad Mare and approximately fifty miles east of Cyprus...
) with Claude Schaeffer. - 1957-1959: Excavations in EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
: at Aksum (AxumAxumAxum or Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia which was the original capital of the eponymous kingdom of Axum. Population 56,500 . Axum was a naval and trading power that ruled the region from ca. 400 BC into the 10th century...
), then Enda Cerqos, Ouchatei Golo and Haoulti (Ethiopia). This research in Ethiopia marked a break in Henri de Contenson's career. Excavations at Aksum revealed a large number of official buildings that have helped clarify the periodization of the archeology of Northern Ethiopia. - 1959: Excavations of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem with Roland de VauxRoland de VauxFather Roland Guérin de Vaux OP was a French Dominican priest who led the Catholic team that initially worked on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He was the director of the Ecole Biblique, a French Catholic Theological School in East Jerusalem, and he was charged with overseeing research on the scrolls...
at Tell el-Far'ah (JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
). - 1961: Excavations of the French Archaeological Mission at SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
with John Vercoutter at Aksha. - 1962-1963: Excavations of the French Archaeological Mission in Ras Shamra (SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
) with Claude Schaeffer. - 1963-1973: Excavations of the Franco-Syrian mission to Damascus at Tell RamadTell RamadTell Ramad is a prehistoric, Neolithic tell at the foot of Mount Hermon, about southwest of Damascus in Syria. The tell was the site of a small village of , which was first settled in the late eighth millennium....
. - 1965: Excavations of the Franco-Syrian mission to Damascus at BouqrasBouqrasBouqras is a large, oval shaped, prehistoric, Neolithic Tell, about in size, located around from Deir ez-Zor in Syria.-Excavation:The tell was discovered in 1960 by Dutch Geomorphologist, Willem van Liere. It was excavated between 1960 and 1965 by Henri de Contenson and van Liere and later...
. - 1968: Excavations of the Franco-Syrian mission to Damascus to Tell Khazzam.
- 1968-1970: Excavations of the French Archaeological Mission in Ras Shamra (SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
) with Claude Schaeffer. - 1971-1972: Excavations in the Mission Franco-Syrian Damascene at Tell AswadTell AswadTell Aswad , Su-uk-su, Shuksa or Tell Sukas is a large prehistoric, Neolithic Tell, about in size, located around from Damascus in Syria, on a tributary of the Balikh River at the eastern end of the village of Jdeidet el Khass.-Excavation:...
. - 1974: Excavations of the Franco-Syrian mission to Damascus to Tell GhoraiféTell GhoraiféTell Ghoraifé is a prehistoric, Neolithic tell, about east of Damascus, Syria. The tell was the site of a small village of , which was first settled in the early eighth millennium BC....
. - 1971-1976: Excavations of the French Archaeological Mission in Ras Shamra (SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
). - 1979: Archaeological survey in the area of the Sajur RiverSajur RiverThe Sājūr River is a long river originating in Turkey and flowing into the Euphrates in Syria. It is the smallest of the three rivers joining the Euphrates in Syria, and the only one that joins the Euphrates on its right bank...
and the Upper Syrian EuphratesEuphratesThe Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
with Paul Sanlaville.
Society Memberships
Henry Contenson is a special member of the following scientific societies:- 1947: Société préhistorique française (French Prehistoric Society)
- 1960: Société asiatiqueSociété AsiatiqueThe Société Asiatique is a French learned society dedicated to the study of Asia. It was founded in 1822 with the mission of developing and diffusing knowledge of Asia. Its boundaries of geographic interest are broad, ranging from the Maghreb to the Far East. The society publishes the Journal...
- 1973: Amis du Dardon, (Friends of Dardon)
- 1982: French Society for Ethiopian Studies
- 1985: French Society of History of Religions(société Ernest-Renan)
- 1993: Association des danses macabres d'Europe