Transfer of the archives of the archaeologist Maurice Dunand to Lebanon

Maurice Dunand (1898 – 1987) was a Franco-Swiss archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East. He served as director of the French Archaeological Mission in Lebanon. After his death, his library, scientific documentation, and personal belongings were transferred to the University of Geneva. These archives document fifty years of excavations carried out by the archeologist on the site of Byblos (Lebanon).

Following a request from the Lebanese authorities, a first transfer of the archeologist’s scientific documents relating to Lebanon took place in 2010. The present project consists of transferring the remaining archives to Lebanon. In 2022, Dr. Patrick Michel, from the University of Lausanne (UNIL), initiated discussions with the Lebanese Minister of Culture and the Director General of Antiquities in Lebanon (DGA) to formalize the transfer of these archives. The same year, the remaining parts of the archive and some of Dunand’s personal belongings (his camera and his office equipment) were transferred to the Lebanese authorities, with the support of ALIPH.