Quotes:Lenormant, François

Zirkoff, Boris

Lenormant, Franqois. Renowned French archaeologist, b. in Paris, Jan. 17, 1837; d. there Dec. 9, 1883. Son of an archaeologist, he became one of the best known scholars of the day in his chosen field. As professor of archaeology at the Bibliothèque Nationale, 1874, was engaged in a number of journeys to Italy, Greece and Asia Minor for purposes of study and research. He was also an authority in Numismatics and wrote on the subject. Lenormant was a prolific writer on both ancient and current history, and was on the staff of several French papers. Among his many works mention should be made of the following: Manuel d’histoire ancienne de I’Orient (1868, 2 vols. 8vo), a work which became a classic of the day (2nd ed., 1881-87). Chef-d’oeuvre de I’art antique (1867-68, 7 vols. 4to).—Les premières civilisations (1874, 2 vols. 8vo.)—Les Sciences occultes en Asie, a very important and epochmaking work which consists of two parts separately issued: La Magie chez les chaldéens et les origines accadiennes (Paris: Malmaison, 1874), tr. into English by W. R. Cooper as Chaldaean Magic; its Origin and Development (London, 1878), and La Divination et la science des présages chez les chaldéens (Paris, 1875).—Les Origines de l’histoire, etc. (1880-82, 2 vols.).

Lenormant founded in 1881 the Gazette archéologique and became a member of the Académie des Inscriptions. He died prematurely of a disease he had contracted on one of his expeditions.

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 2, p. 534

Lenormant, François (1837–1883). French Assyriologist and archaeologist, b. in Paris, Jan. 17, 1837; d. in Paris, Dec. 9, 1883. Son of a well-known archaeologist, Charles Lenormant, who died at Athens, 1859, when father and son were visiting Greece. Lenormant became sub-librarian of the Institute, 1862, and prof. of archaeology at the Bibliothèque Nationale, 1874. He made many archaeological expeditions in the Mediterranean. He was one of the first to recognize in the cuneiform inscriptions the existence of a non-Semitic language now known as Accadian. His best-known work is *Les origines de l'histoire d'après la Bible et les traditions des peuples orientaux, 2 vols., Paris, 1880–84, 8vo. (Engl. transl. by Mary Lockwood, as The Beginnings of History, etc.; London: Sampson Low & Co., 1883, 8vo.; New York: Scribner's sons, 1882.)

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 8, p. 463