À Carthage avec les Américains: colaboraciones, rivalidades científicas y nacionalismo en el comienzo de las excavaciones de Byron Khun de Prorok en Cartago (1921-1924)

Abstract

In the history of excavations at Carthage, Byron Khun de Prorok has been relegated to a secondary position, more linked to a pseudo-archaeology and the looting of antiquities than to a scientific work addressed to solve the historical problems of the city. This article does not focus on presenting the development of his surveys to the remains of the Tunisian archaeological site, but rather to highlight the ability of Prorok, an artist and dilettante archaeologist, to enter the framework of the archaeology of the French Protectorate, avoiding a strong nationalist opposition, and obtaining the support for his projects of prestigious personalities, such as Louis Poinssot, Father Delattre or Stephane Gsell. Thereby, for five years, he became the interlocutor between the French and American academic worlds, and obtained the management of important archaeological sites, such as the tophet.