All Scholars

Stéphane Gsell was born to a Swiss family who came to Paris to restore the stained-glass windows of larger French churches. His mother was related to the Pasteur family. During his time at the École Normale Supérieure, he studied history but was excited by the new French interest in scientific inquiry, not only as a means of studying French national identity after the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1), but also as a means of understanding their colonies, particularly those in Africa. After graduation he traveled to Rome where he so impressed Prince Giulio Torlonia (1847-1914), owner of the excavation of the Etruscan town of Vulci, that he enlisted Gsell to excavate the necropolis. Gsell had visited various European excavations, so he had some familiarity with the current state of archaeological research. Gsell’s control of the languages and material remains from Berber to the Punic areas combined with his scrupulous accuracy in excavating, recording, and preserving his finds set the standard for African archaeology and remained influential for those who came after. Gsell spent the summer of 1889 carefully measuring and labeling the tombs of the necropolis to a greater degree than the common practice and published his results in 1891. 

      His dissertation for his doctorate in letters reported his discovery of the basilica with St. Salsa’s tomb in Tipaza, Algeria. This began his exploration of the rich but largely undocumented treasures of northern Africa. His chair at the University of Algiers involved minimal teaching responsibilities, leaving Gsell free to visit sites. Named Inspector-General for Antiquities in Algeria, he became the foremost and possibly first expert in the life of Greek and Roman Northern Africa, particularly in the area of Carthage. His Monuments antiques de l’Algerie (1901) provided the first substantial and highly detailed inventory of his finds and observations. Its two volumes included over 10,000 names and 50 maps. In 1912 he gave his inaugural speech to the Collège de France, “Histoire ancienne de l’Afrique de Nord” describing his plan to write a comprehensive history of North Africa. Unfortunately, after 1926 his eyesight and his general health went into decline, limiting his stamina for research.