Jacques Spon
Encyclopedia
Jacob Spon (Lyon
s 1647 – Vevey
, Switzerland, 25 December 1685), a French
doctor and archaeologist, was a pioneer in the exploration of the monuments of Greece
and a scholar of international reputation in the developing "Republic of Letters
".
His father was Charles Spon, a doctor and Hellenist, of a wealthy and cultured Calvinist banking family from Ulm
that had been established since 1551 at Lyon, where they were members of the bourgeois élite. Following medical studies at Strasburg
, the younger Spon first met the son of a friend of his father, Charles Patin, who introduced him to antiquarian interests and the study of numismatics
, then as now a window into the world of Classical Antiquity
. In Paris, Jacob Spon lodged with Patin's father, Guy Patin. At Montpellier
he received his doctorate in medicine (1668) and subsequently practiced in Lyon to a wealthy clientele. There his first publication appeared, a Recherche des antiquités et curiosités de la ville de Lyon and he entered into correspondence with a wider circle of savants: the abbé Claude Nicaise at Dijon, du Cange
at Paris, the erudite circles that gravitated to le Grand Dauphin and the duc d'Aumont
. Among his correspondents were the courtier-theologian Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
, the philosopher Pierre Bayle
, Pierre Carcavy, the Jesuit scholar François d'Aix de la Chaise, confessor to the King, and François Charpentier
. He met Jean Mabillon
when Mabillon passed through Lyon in 1682.
Spon travelled to Italy, and then to Greece, to Constantinople
and the Levant
in 1675–1676 in the company of the English connoisseur and botanist Sir George Wheler
(1650–1723), whose collection of antiquities was afterwards bequeathed to Oxford University. They were among the first knowledgeable Western European antiquaries to see the antiquities of Greece at first hand. Spon's Voyage d'Italie, de Dalmatie, de Grèce et du Levant (1678) remained a useful reference work even in the time of Chateaubriand, who employed it in his trip to the East.
Spon brought back many valuable treasures, coins, inscriptions and manuscripts. In January 1680, he quarreled with Père de La Chaise
, who pressed him to convert to Catholicism
. That year Spon published his Histoire de la république de Genève, followed by his Récherches curieuses d'antiquité (Lyon 1683) and in 1685 a collection of transcriptions of Roman inscriptions gleaned over the years, Miscellanea eruditae antiquitatis, in the preface to which he offered one of the earliest definitions of "archaeologia" to describe the study of antiquities in which he was engaged.
The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, October 1685, was indirectly the cause of his death. Rather than abjure his Calvinist faith Spon preferred to leave for Zurich
, an illegal move. His money and baggage stolen from him, and in fragile health, he expired of tuberculosis
in the canton hospital at Vevey, Christmas Day 1685, at the age of only thirty-eight.
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
s 1647 – Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
, Switzerland, 25 December 1685), a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
doctor and archaeologist, was a pioneer in the exploration of the monuments of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and a scholar of international reputation in the developing "Republic of Letters
Republic of Letters
Republic of Letters is most commonly used to define intellectual communities in the late 17th and 18th century in Europe and America. It especially brought together the intellectuals of Age of Enlightenment, or "philosophes" as they were called in France...
".
His father was Charles Spon, a doctor and Hellenist, of a wealthy and cultured Calvinist banking family from Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
that had been established since 1551 at Lyon, where they were members of the bourgeois élite. Following medical studies at Strasburg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, the younger Spon first met the son of a friend of his father, Charles Patin, who introduced him to antiquarian interests and the study of numismatics
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
, then as now a window into the world of Classical Antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
. In Paris, Jacob Spon lodged with Patin's father, Guy Patin. At Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
he received his doctorate in medicine (1668) and subsequently practiced in Lyon to a wealthy clientele. There his first publication appeared, a Recherche des antiquités et curiosités de la ville de Lyon and he entered into correspondence with a wider circle of savants: the abbé Claude Nicaise at Dijon, du Cange
Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange
Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange or Ducange was a distinguished philologist and historian of the Middle Ages and Byzantium....
at Paris, the erudite circles that gravitated to le Grand Dauphin and the duc d'Aumont
Aumont family
The Aumont family take its name from the Duchy of Aumont, a small commune in the department of the Somme. The Duché-Pairie d'Aumont was established in 1665 from the Marquisat of Isles-en-Champagne, the title being granted to Antoine d'Aumont de Rochebaron...
. Among his correspondents were the courtier-theologian Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet was a French bishop and theologian, renowned for his sermons and other addresses. He has been considered by many to be one of the most brilliant orators of all time and a masterly French stylist....
, the philosopher Pierre Bayle
Pierre Bayle
Pierre Bayle was a French philosopher and writer best known for his seminal work the Historical and Critical Dictionary, published beginning in 1695....
, Pierre Carcavy, the Jesuit scholar François d'Aix de la Chaise, confessor to the King, and François Charpentier
François Charpentier
François Charpentier was a French archaeologist and man of letters.-Biography:Charpentier was born in Paris, and intended for the bar, but was employed by Colbert, who had determined on the foundation of a French East India Company, to draw up an explanatory account of the project for Louis...
. He met Jean Mabillon
Jean Mabillon
Jean Mabillon was a French Benedictine monk and scholar, considered the founder of palaeography and diplomatics.-Early career:...
when Mabillon passed through Lyon in 1682.
Spon travelled to Italy, and then to Greece, to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
in 1675–1676 in the company of the English connoisseur and botanist Sir George Wheler
Sir George Wheler
-Life:The son of Charles Wheler of Charing, Kent, colonel in the Life Guards, by his wife Anne, daughter of John Hutchin of Egerton, Kent, he was born at Breda in Holland, where his parents, who were Royalists, were in exile. He was educated at a school in Wye, Kent and Lincoln College, Oxford,...
(1650–1723), whose collection of antiquities was afterwards bequeathed to Oxford University. They were among the first knowledgeable Western European antiquaries to see the antiquities of Greece at first hand. Spon's Voyage d'Italie, de Dalmatie, de Grèce et du Levant (1678) remained a useful reference work even in the time of Chateaubriand, who employed it in his trip to the East.
Spon brought back many valuable treasures, coins, inscriptions and manuscripts. In January 1680, he quarreled with Père de La Chaise
François de la Chaise
François de la Chaise was a French Jesuit priest, the father confessor of King Louis XIV of France.-Biography:...
, who pressed him to convert to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. That year Spon published his Histoire de la république de Genève, followed by his Récherches curieuses d'antiquité (Lyon 1683) and in 1685 a collection of transcriptions of Roman inscriptions gleaned over the years, Miscellanea eruditae antiquitatis, in the preface to which he offered one of the earliest definitions of "archaeologia" to describe the study of antiquities in which he was engaged.
The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, October 1685, was indirectly the cause of his death. Rather than abjure his Calvinist faith Spon preferred to leave for Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, an illegal move. His money and baggage stolen from him, and in fragile health, he expired of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in the canton hospital at Vevey, Christmas Day 1685, at the age of only thirty-eight.