Count Robert du Mesnil du Buisson (1895–1986), a french precursor in geophysical survey for archaeology
✍ Scribed by Albert Hesse
- Book ID
- 101279197
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2000
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 81 KB
- Volume
- 7
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1075-2196
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Geophysical surveys for archaeology are generally considered to have started in 1946 or 1947 with electrical measurements. This assumption neglects several predictions (1934) and experiments (1947) made at very early dates by a French archaeologist (R. du Mesnil du Buisson) who stated several clever and precursory conclusions on different methods. These are still almost unknown probably because they were not published in English until now. The paper gives an account of some interesting aspects of the subject and of historical details about the early times of our discipline. Unsuccessful attempts to establish possible links between R. du Mesnil du Buisson and the most prominent French geophysicists of that time reveals the archaeologist as a particularly independent and perspicacious precursor in this field.