Abstract
A 19th-century French magistrate, Joachim Ménant took an early interest in the work of Jules Oppert, before making his own original contributions to Assyriology. Born in Cherbourg on April 16, 1820, he studied law at the University of Caen before embarking on a career as a magistrate. At the same time, he devoted himself to oriental studies, becoming a pioneer in the study of cuneiform inscriptions and the consolidation of their decipherment. His many publications include Éléments d'épigraphie assyrienne (1850) and Les Écritures cunéiformes (1860), which bear witness to his contribution to the discipline.
Throughout his career, Joachim Ménant collaborated regularly with Jules Oppert, while also serving as a judge at the Lisieux court. Together, they combined their legal and scientific expertise to deepen our understanding of the Assyrian and Chaldean civilizations. In particular, Ménant analyzed cuneiform tablets containing contracts, trial reports and codes of law, thus testifying to the advanced legal organization of Mesopotamian Civilization. Their collaboration began in 1863 with the Grande inscription du palais de Khorsabad and continued in 1877 with Documents juridiques de l'Assyrie et de la Chaldée.
The tandem formed by Oppert and Ménant was complementary in several respects. Firstly, it illustrates a convergence between philological (Oppert) and legal (Ménant) approaches. What's more, both contributed to the spread of Assyriology in France. In 1868, Joachim Ménant gave the first lecture in Assyriology at the Sorbonne, while Oppert inaugurated the Chair of Assyrian Philology and Archaeology at the Collège de France in 1874.
By integrating Ménant's legal analyses into his own research, Jules Oppert fully recognized the magistrate's contribution to Assyriology.
