Émile Cartailhac
Encyclopedia
Émile Cartailhac was a French
prehistorian, one of the founding fathers of the studies of the cave art. He is perhaps best remembered because of his involvement with the Altamira paintings.
He got interested in prehistory (studies of which were then just beginning) at a very young age. He made excavations around the dolmen
s in Aveyron
, and also in Portugal
, Iceland
and the Balearic Islands
. In 1867 he was the supervisor of the prehistory section at a world's fair in Paris
. Two years later, he became the chief editor of the revue Matériaux pour l'histoire naturelle et primitive de l'homme founded by Gabriel de Mortillet. This position he held until 1887. From 1882 he taught at the university in Toulouse
and in 1897 he was elected a curator of Académie des Jeux floraux
. After changing his opinion about Altamira, he became one of the founders of the studies of the cave art and one of the scientists (together with e. g. Henri Breuil
) who recognised its importance. He was (together with Breuill and Marcellin Boule
) one of the founders of Institut de paléontologie humaine in Paris (following a generous donation from Albert I
).
's daughter María discovered the paintings in Altamira and Sautuola, together with professor Vilanova, published their findings in 1880, Cartailhac was one of the leaders of the scientists who, suddenly facing a revolutionary change in the view of the prehistoric man, ridiculed these paintings at the 1880 Prehistorical Congress in Lisbon
. Due to this opinion, the members of the congress did not even visit Altamira. He changed his mind after several other caves with clearly prehistoric paintings had been found and visited the cave with Breuill in 1902. He apologised there to María de Sautuola (her father died in 1888) and promised her to do everything to clear don Sautuola's name (Sautuola had even been accused of forgery). His letter from 9 October 1902 says among other things: "We live in a new world"". He also wrote a famous article, Mea culpa d'un sceptique in which he admitted he was deeply wrong, emphasized the importance of Altamira, accused himself of holding back the progress of his science, and harshly criticised himself for doing an injustice to an honest man and rejecting a thing without any investigation. Today, opinions about this article vary. Kleibl praises it as "one of the finest moments of prehistory" and a "brave article, showing no fear of hurting his" [Cartailhac's] "professional credit", while Lewis-Williams
writes about it as about an opportunist thing used calculatingly for Cartailhac's own benefit when his position was no longer tenable.
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...
prehistorian, one of the founding fathers of the studies of the cave art. He is perhaps best remembered because of his involvement with the Altamira paintings.
He got interested in prehistory (studies of which were then just beginning) at a very young age. He made excavations around the dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s in Aveyron
Aveyron
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
, and also in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
. In 1867 he was the supervisor of the prehistory section at a world's fair in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Two years later, he became the chief editor of the revue Matériaux pour l'histoire naturelle et primitive de l'homme founded by Gabriel de Mortillet. This position he held until 1887. From 1882 he taught at the university in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and in 1897 he was elected a curator of Académie des Jeux floraux
Académie des Jeux floraux
Académie des Jeux floraux , or Collège de la gaie science , is the most ancient literary institution of the western world. It was founded in 1323 by Clémence Isaure as the Consistori del Gay Saber with the goal of encouraging Occitan poetry...
. After changing his opinion about Altamira, he became one of the founders of the studies of the cave art and one of the scientists (together with e. g. Henri Breuil
Henri Breuil
Henri Édouard Prosper Breuil , often referred to as Abbé Breuil, was a French Catholic priest, archaeologist, anthropologist, ethnologist and geologist...
) who recognised its importance. He was (together with Breuill and Marcellin Boule
Marcellin Boule
Marcellin Boule was a French palaeontologist.He studied and published the first analysis of a complete Homo neanderthalensis. The fossil discovered in La Chapelle-aux-Saints was an old man, and Boule characterized it as brutish, bent kneed and not a fully erect biped...
) one of the founders of Institut de paléontologie humaine in Paris (following a generous donation from Albert I
Albert I, Prince of Monaco
Albert I was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 10 September 1889 until his death.-Early life:...
).
Cartailhac and Altamira
When SautuolaMarcelino Sanz de Sautuola
Don Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola or Marcelino de Sautuola was a Spanish jurist and amateur archaeologist, who owned the land where the Altamira cave was found.-Altamira cave:...
's daughter María discovered the paintings in Altamira and Sautuola, together with professor Vilanova, published their findings in 1880, Cartailhac was one of the leaders of the scientists who, suddenly facing a revolutionary change in the view of the prehistoric man, ridiculed these paintings at the 1880 Prehistorical Congress in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. Due to this opinion, the members of the congress did not even visit Altamira. He changed his mind after several other caves with clearly prehistoric paintings had been found and visited the cave with Breuill in 1902. He apologised there to María de Sautuola (her father died in 1888) and promised her to do everything to clear don Sautuola's name (Sautuola had even been accused of forgery). His letter from 9 October 1902 says among other things: "We live in a new world"". He also wrote a famous article, Mea culpa d'un sceptique in which he admitted he was deeply wrong, emphasized the importance of Altamira, accused himself of holding back the progress of his science, and harshly criticised himself for doing an injustice to an honest man and rejecting a thing without any investigation. Today, opinions about this article vary. Kleibl praises it as "one of the finest moments of prehistory" and a "brave article, showing no fear of hurting his" [Cartailhac's] "professional credit", while Lewis-Williams
David Lewis-Williams
James David Lewis-Williams is a South African scholar. He is professor emeritus of cognitive archaeology at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg....
writes about it as about an opportunist thing used calculatingly for Cartailhac's own benefit when his position was no longer tenable.
Works
- Émile Cartailhac, Henri Breuil, Les peintures de la grotte d'Altamira à Santillana (Espagne). Comptes rendus de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, p. 256-264, et Compte rendu de l'Académie des Sciences, p. 534. (1903)
- Émile Cartailhac, Les peintures préhistoriques de la caverne d'Altamira. Conférence faite au Musée Guimet. In-18 de 25 p. Paris, Leroux. (1904)
- Émile Cartailhac, Henri Breuil, Les peintures et gravures murales des cavernes pyrénéennes. Altamira et Marsoulas. L'Anthropologie, t. XV, p. 625. Fig. (1905)
- Émile Cartailhac, Henri Breuil, La caverne d'Altamira à Santillana, près de Santander (Espagne). - 1st volume of Peintures et gravures murales des cavernes paléolithiques, published thanks to a grant from Albert I. Grand In-4°, 287 pages, 37 engravings. Monaco, 1906 (paru en 1908).