Pratiquer la Préhistoire en province à la fin du XIXe siècle. L’univers des préhistoriens vu et vécu par Charles Janet dans l’Oise entre 1880 et 1910
Authors: Casson Loïc 
Published: May 2017

In 1900, the Darwin’s major work was already forty years old, just like the Moulin-Quignon jaw controversy. The pPrehistoric man and the evolution idea of evolution weare not new in France, even if they still faced some opposition. It is true that the society of biology had existed for 52 years and that the Paris anthropological society already reachedfor about forty40, such aslike the Saint-Germain-en-Laye Museum of Antiquities Celtic and Gallo-Roman Antiquities. However, for the last quarter ending of the Tthird French Republic, the prehistoric science was no’t well-established in its institutions and its practices. At thatis time, prehistorians weare therefore not therefore integrated or associated with official scientificsts structures centralized and framed organized by the universities. Ten years later the French prehistoric society wais a young learned society already destined for a rapid national boom expansion, while the English prehistoric society will would take it only be founded in 1935. In this context, it is not easy to observe the practices of prehistorians without limiting it them to the history of some famous personalities or to that of Parisian learned societies. Thus, to bear witness to the prehistorians’ practices in its the widest sense, we wi’ll see consider them through the eyes of a provinciale amateur scientist named Charles Janet (1849-1932). The Following Janet’s life and work of Janet as thread a lead will allow us to discover the evolution discover bits of prehistorians’ practices evolutions forover thirty years to reachuntil the recognition of the French prehistoric society was recognized by the State in 1910. Without wanting to posesetting Janet up as a model, this biographical approach will allow, decentering, to the observation ofe collective practices and inform shed light on a French national history of the developing prehistoric science of prehistory in France. Despite his being a third rank actor in the development of prehistoric knowledge factorylearning, Charles Janet remains a reliable witness. His intense scientific activity placeds him in a favourable observer position as an observer in the Oise déDepartement. Indeed, in Beauvais today, this now anonymous naturalist will was come across someto approach facts, men and networks all participating playing a role in the history of prehistory. This plunge immersion starts in 1880 with an important case of false fake flints. It takes place in Beauvais, where Janet iwas called to as a witness. It must has to be said that 18000 extracted specimens extracted from 600 graves weare enough to stir uparouse the interestts of collectors, scholars and forgers. The local press will makewas to print its most important prints editions with this unique discovery, which turned out to be false. The case will extendreached as far as Paris, the Paris anthropological society will seized the opportunity to intervene. The practice of prehistory is also embodied reflected in the anticlerical fight struggle long before the December 1905 law of regarding the separation ofbetween the Church and the State in France December 1905. Thus, in 1886 a lecture by Gabriel de Mortillet in Beauvais rests was based on his hypothesis regarding the existence of mankind during the Tertiary human period in order hypothesis to struggle againstcombat religious ideals and relay promulgate those of freemasons and freethinkers. Charles Janet, witness or observer, will move tobecame Janet, actor or participant, with the constitution of his prehistoric collection. In this, he will was the reflection the indication of the practices of bourgeois scholars, capable of practices able to concentrate assembling and organizinge collections sometimes worthy of a museum. If theWhile assembling a collection remaineds the concrete and positive part of this science, its structure and development is also thanks to itswas above all due to the men involved, their relationships, they have, their fightsstruggles and influences that this science is structured and developed. Thus we will place Janet in the context of the learned societies context that he attended frequented in Beauvais. These tTwo companies societies claim ofinvoked prehistoric science but in many very different ways. One (SAO), former created in 1847, bourgeois, local academic and Ccatholic, was academy opposed tos the other (SEHSO), secular, social, open to all and created in 1906 with the discreet support of Adrien de Mortillet (1853-1931, the son of G. de Mortillet). In one the former, the men of faith hold were the holders of the historicalans’ specialties, in the other latter teachers are appealedwere called on to draw up maps of prehistoric Oise. But wWe will see, however, that these companies societies weare not isolated in their province. Instead, but had they take direct, close contact, sometimes from man to man (Stalin-Mortillet), with the Parisian French prehistoric society in Paris (Stalin-Mortillet) which at the time federates thefocused protests against an excavation draft law regulating excavations. Any possible iIsolation wais also broken by exchanges with the scientific excursions company society (chaired by Adrien de Mortillet) which will caome several times in to the Oise département and visited Janet twice. Another event, in which Janet will participated, wouldill eventually show that the provincial Francee, if it is not far from scientific debates, is was attractive because of her its prehistoric sites, as control. This is what shown by the fact that the Fifths the holding of a national Congress of Pprehistoricy Congress was held in Beauvais in 1909. The provinces could decentralize prehistorians without disuniting them, thanks to the joint observation of excavations. Indeed tThe delegates’ practices weare sometimes close enough to tourism. B, but this national Congress mediates and promoteds Prehistory and prehistorians who weare here almost all amateurs. We thus get toarrive at 23 November 1910. This is the time, when the French prehistoric society (SPF) celebrateds its public utilityofficial recognition by the State as being beneficial to the public and, curiously, Charles Janet, an Beauvais engineer from Beauvais, appeareds at in the 1St front rows of the nine hundred guests invited to this event. The reconstruction of the course of Janet’s life will allow provide us with a privileged observation of prehistoric science observation in the provinces between 1880 and 1910. We’ll We will illuminate thus shed light on the interior practices of collectors, excursionists visitors and delegates of to the Beauvais Congress and the publicizing publicity resulting therefrom. We will show the complex relationships woven between a province provincial academy and the higher Parisian authority in research of institutionalization. The look offeredvision proposed by Charles Janet, although it is local, possibly reflects the practical, scientific and political concerns of many prehistorians around the end of the 19th century.