Ernest de Sarzec

Ernest de Sarzec (full name Gustave Charles Ernest Chocquin, since 1880 de Sarzec; born August 11, 1832 in Rennes, † May 31, 1901 in Poitiers) was a French diplomat and archaeologist. He is considered the discoverer of the Sumerian culture.

Ernest de Sarzec joined in 1875 to his new position as vice-consul of France in Basra after he had previously been 1872-1875 Vice-Consul of France in the Egyptian Massawa, with authority to act also against Ethiopia. Him were the excavations of his British colleagues JE Taylor known in the Sumerian city of Ur. As he himself had archaeological ambitions, was found in the following period a field of activity, and it seemed in 1877 in the ruins on the hill Tello ( h) to have found from the reported him an Iraqi businessman. However, previously had to problems are eliminated: While he had no problem to get permission from the French authorities, but was the territory of the city Tello in the sphere of warlike Arab tribe of Montefidj that neither the central government in Baghdad nor the accredited there foreign diplomats recognized. However, de Sarzec able to win the goodwill of Nasir Pasha. Thus he was able to move in the tribal area in the aftermath problems.

De Sarzec found a mound and former channels that were littered with pottery shards and cuneiform bricks. One of the first and most significant finds was ( headless ) Upper part of a Dioritstatue Gudea of Lagash, were on the characters that do not constitute the hitherto known cuneiform languages. Already in 1869 Jules Oppert had theorized a further early Mesopotamian language and culture. De Sarzec So here was the proof of their existence and discovered one of the most important cities of the Sumerians, Girsu and, ultimately, the Sumerian culture. Nevertheless, it should still should take over 30 years to the Sumerian language deciphered, and the existence of the Sumerian people was proved.