René Mouterde | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1880-10-28)28 October 1880 Lyon, France |
| Died | 27 December 1961(1961-12-27) (aged 81) Beirut, Lebanon |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
Marie Léon René Mouterde (28 October 1880 – 27 December 1961) was a FrenchJesuit priest,archaeologist, andepigraphist who made significant contributions to the study of Greek and Roman inscriptions inLebanon,Jordan, and Syria during the 20th century.[1]
Marie-Léon-René Mouterde was born inLyon, France, on 28 October 1880. At eighteen, he entered theSociety of Jesus, studied classicalphilology before pursuing theological and philosophical coursework. Following standard Jesuit educational practice, he temporarily suspended his studies to teach at theSaint Joseph University of Beirut.[1][2]
Mouterde's initial work inepigraphy and archaeology developed during his appointment at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, where the Faculty of Oriental Studies had been established in 1902 as a center for philological, archaeological, and historical research. The faculty operated under the direction ofSébastien Ronzevalle, who held a corresponding membership with theAcadémie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.[1] Mouterde arrived in Beirut in 1905 at age twenty-five. Earlier scholars likeErnest Renan andEugène-Melchior de Vogüé had conducted significant research in Syria and Lebanon during the 19th century. Saint Joseph University in Beirut established the first permanent group of archaeologists in the region, focusing on documenting and preserving scattered monuments and chance discoveries that were at risk of deterioration or loss.[3][4]
Mouterde's primary scholarly contribution emerged through his collaboration with archeologistLouis Jalabert on Greek and Roman epigraphy. This partnership began after the 1905Archaeological Congress in Athens approved plans for a new compilation of Syrian Greek and Latin inscriptions, intended to supersede Waddington's earlier work from the Second Empire period. Following Jalabert's return to France, Mouterde assumed primary responsibility for this project.[1] Mouterde joined an established research team that included: Sébastien Ronzevalle, an archaeologist, and Louis Jalabert, an epigraphist. Together they documented numerous monuments, publishing their findings regularly in theMélanges de la Faculté orientale (renamedMélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph in 1922). Their collective work became an essential source for understanding ancientLevant.[3][4] Mouterde's scholarly output included specialized studies on regional archaeological findings,Byzantine artisanal inscriptions, ancient magical objects, leadsarcophagi, and Syrian religious practices. He additionally contributed research to publications on the Chalcis limes and archaeological studies of the ports ofTyre andSidon.[5]
Following his permanent return to Beirut in 1919, Mouterde occupied several administrative positions, including serving as Chancellor of the Faculty of Law at Saint Joseph University until 1942, and as the Founding Director of theInstitute of Oriental Letters from 1937 to 1951. He was also the editor of the ''Mélanges de l'Université Saint-Joseph'' until 1961 and a professor of Phoenician and Syrian Greco-Roman history and archaeology.[6][7] The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres elected Mouterde as a corresponding member on 6 December 1940.[8] He died that year in Beirut on 27 December.[1]
René Mouterde's contributions to the field of epigraphy are most prominently reflected in his work on the "Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie," a comprehensive collection of inscriptions fromLebanon,Jordan andSyria.[9][4][7] The publication sequence of "Inscriptions grecques et latines de la Syrie" proceeded with Volume I in 1929, co-authored with Jalabert, followed by Volume II in 1939, and Volumes III to V post-1945. Volume VI was a completed manuscript that was published posthumously. The completed work documented 3,405 inscriptions.[4][7] Contemporary scholarFranz Cumont noted the work's methodological rigor in transcription and its comprehensive bibliographic documentation.[7]
