CLERMONT-GANNEAU, CHARLES

born Feb. 19, 1846, Paris died Feb. 15, 1923, Paris French archaeologist who contributed to biblical studies and also exposed a number of archaeological frauds. Clermont-Ganneau pursued his archaeological investigations while holding various diplomatic posts. A notable event in biblical research was his identification of the site of the ancient Canaanite city of Gezer, near modern Lod (Lydda), Israel (187374). He also directed expeditions to Syria (1881), Crete (1895), and Elephantine (Jazirat Aswan), Egypt (190608). Equipped with an excellent knowledge of the languages of western Asia, he improved the translation of important Phoenician, Aramaic, and other ancient texts and became professor of archaeology and Oriental epigraphy at the Collge de France (1890). Among the frauds he exposed was the biblical manuscript acquired by the British Museum in 1883. His publications include tudes d'archologie orientale, 2 vol. (188097; Studies in Eastern Archaeology).