189 - Theodore Reinach: Voyage en Orient. Paris, 1879

Theodore Reinach: Voyage en Orient. Paris, 1879 First edition, in 8vo, complete in two volumes, contemporary leather over boards, text clean and bright, overall a fine set. The brilliant French archaeologist and polymath Théodore Reinach (1860-1928) travelled widely in the Levant. This work is a cornerstone for focusing on the transition from 19th-century amateur exploration to professionalized scientific archaeology.He was then at the beginning of a career that would see him become one of the world's leading experts on ancient numismatics and history. Reinach looked at the Levant through the lens of a historian. He wasn't just looking for the picturesque; he was looking for inscriptions, coins, and stratigraphic evidence. His journey took him through Constantinople, Asia Minor, and Greece. He arrived just after the massive geopolitical shifts of the Russo-Turkish War, making his observations on the state of the ruins and the local administrations particularly timely. He spent significant time documenting Greek inscriptions that were being uncovered as the Ottoman Empire began to modernize its infrastructure constructing railways and roads. He provides a critical evaluation of the Imperial Museum in Constantinople. A very rare precious account