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Agnès Spycket

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French archaeologist (1921–2022)
Agnès Spycket
Born1 September 1921 (in Julian calendar) Edit this on Wikidata
Paris Edit this on Wikidata
Died17 January 2022 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 100)
9th arrondissement of Paris Edit this on Wikidata
Awards

Agnès Spycket, (1 September 1921 – 17 January 2022) was a French Assyriologist, iconologist, and archaeologist.

Biography

Spycket was born on 1 September 1921 in Paris. After being "captivated" by Assyrian bulls at the Louvre at the age of 19, she pursued studies at the Catholic University of Paris, followed by EPHE (École Pratique des Hautes Études), and the École du Louvre. There, she learned Hebrew, Akkadian, and Sumerian. She presented her thesis titled "La coiffure féminine en Mésopotamie" (Women's Hairstyles in Mesopotamia) under the guidance of Georges Contenau and André Parrot in 1946. Later, she undertook a dissertation at EPHE titled "La statue de culte en Mésopotamie" (Cult Statues in Mesopotamia). However, she only presented it twenty years later with the assistance of Roland de Vaux, overcoming numerous obstacles in her academic career due to gender-related challenges.

Simultaneously, she started as a mission officer within the Department of Oriental Antiquities at the Louvre in 1945. At the same time, she joined the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research) as a technical associate under Édouard Dhorme and René Labat. She was also in link with another female assyriologist of that time, Jeanne-Marie Aynard, with whom she worked.

Spycket actively participated in numerous excavations. In 1962–1963, she conducted excavations in Jerusalem with Roland de Vaux. Subsequently, she excavated at Susa with Roman Ghirshman from 1964 to 1966, and at Tell Keisan with Roland de Vaux in the 1970s. She also played a role in organizing and conducting excavations in places like Isin, Sirkeli, and Terqa. Roman Ghirshman, who worked with her on excavations, described her as particularly "sagacious".

Despite the challenges she faced in her career as a woman, Spycket received support from some friends and colleagues, including André Parrot. Among others, he advocated for her to receive the Order of Arts and Letters, declaring it to be :

The long-awaited and highly deserved consecration of tireless activity that you have carried out for years in the service of science.

In 1982, she was honoured with the CNRS Silver Medal for her contributions to Assyriology and iconology.

Spycket died on 17 January 2022, and was buried after a ceremony at the church of Sainte-Trinité, Paris.

Legacy

In 1996, a collective work paid tribute to Agnès Spycket, expressing gratitude for her contribution to the understanding of the ancient Near East.

Decorations

References

  1. ^ Chevalier, Nicole (2022-12-31). "Agnès Spycket (Paris, 1er septembre 1921 – 17 janvier 2022)". Syria (99): 339–341. doi:10.4000/syria.14776. ISSN 0039-7946. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  2. ^ "Une mémoire de l'archéologie française s'éteint". www.arkeotopia.org. Archived from the original on 2024-03-03. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  3. ^ Charpin, Dominique (2022). En quête de Ninive: Des savants français à la découverte de la Mésopotamie (1842‑1975) (in French). Les Belles Lettres. ISBN 978-2-251-45358-3. Archived from the original on 2023-10-23. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  4. Prignaud, Jean (1972). "Première Campagne De Fouilles a Tell Keisan (israël)". Revue Biblique (1946-). 79 (2): 227–238. ISSN 0035-0907. JSTOR 44093340. Archived from the original on 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  5. Ghirshman, R. (1968). "Notes iraniennes XVI. Deux statuettes elamites du plateau iranien". Artibus Asiae. 30 (2/3): 237–248. doi:10.2307/3250304. JSTOR 3250304. Archived from the original on 2024-03-03. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  6. Burgos, Valérie (2023-01-31). "Médailles d'argent du CNRS 1960-2010". Comité pour l'histoire du CNRS (in French). doi:10.58079/n1ag. Archived from the original on 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  7. "Avis de décès Agnès SPYCKET - Paris (75) - Dans Nos Coeurs". www.dansnoscoeurs.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-03-03. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  8. Gasche, Hermann; Spycket, Agnès; Hrouda, Barthel, eds. (1996). Collectanea Orientalia: histoire, arts de l'espace et industrie de la terre ; études offertes en hommage à Agnès Spycket. Civilisations du Proche-Orient Série 1, archéologie et environnement. Neuchâtel: Récherches et Publications, P.O. Box 1949. ISBN 978-2-940032-09-9.
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