The archaeological collections

Comparative archaeology

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The Comparative Archaeology room presents archaeological or ethnographic objects of foreign origin, from the Palaeolithic to the early Middle Ages, offering a panorama of archaeological cultures from around the world.

Most of the collections entered the museum before the First World War. They are composed of archaeological or ethnographic objects of foreign origin in order to offer the visitor a panorama of archaeological cultures from all over the world and to put the material cultures of the French territory into context.

Along the length of the room, we have chosen to evoke the passage of time (from the Palaeolithic to the beginning of the Middle Ages) and the succession of technical inventions: stone cutting, terracotta work, metallurgy.

Across the width of the room, the geographical zones (Africa, Asia, Near East, Europe, America) are presented opposite each other. This layout highlights the similarities or differences in the evolution of cultures in different regions of the world.

The comparative archaeology room was designed at the beginning of the 20th century by Henri Hubert and Marcel Mauss, who wanted to illustrate the "ethnographic history of Europe and humanity" based on the study of the "total social fact" from the origins of man until the very beginning of the Middle Ages.

Article co-authored by Marcel Mauss and Henri Hubert: "The Outline of a Theory of Magic".

Les objets

Céramique

Les vases de Suse (Iran)

Suse (Iran) 4e millénaire

Vase en céramique beige clair, de forme arrondie, décoré de motifs géométriques noirs, exposé sur un fond gris neutre. — © RMN-GP. Jean-Gilles Berizzi

Statuette

Statuette féminine d’Égypte prédynastique

Hiérakonpolis (?) (Kôm el-Akhmar, Haute-Égypte).
Époque de Nagada II (entre 3 500 et 3 200 environ avant J.-C.).

Media Name: COMP_MAN77740.c_R_Kom_el-Akhmar.jpg — © RMN-GP. Franck Raux

Statuette

The Miniature Chariot of Merida

Mérida (Badajoz, Spain) 2nd to 1st centuries BC?

A sort of rectangular platform set on four wheels, this small chariot supports figurines (horseman, wild boar and dog) evoking a boar-hunting scene. These figurines were made through the lost wax process, as were three of the small bells hanging from the back of the platform.As this chariot was discovered many years ago, its archaeological context is unknown, but several indications point to the fact that this object was knowingly buried in fragments. Recent analysis of the metal alloys has shown that some of the original cast elements could date back to the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Based on stylistic analysis on the other hand, other specialists think that the coexistence of genuine Iberian figures with the more realistic style of the animals, indicates a more recent date for this work, which could be one of the last examples of a long series of proto-historic votive chariots in Europe.

Instrument de musique