Jules Oppert and the discovery of Mesopotamia (1850-1905)

From June 17 to September 21 2025, discover the incredible adventure of deciphering cuneiform writing and the Assyrian language. This exhibition follows the work of Jules Oppert, a pioneer of Assyriology and professor at the Collège de France from 1874 to 1905. You'll discover how his research lifted the veil on mysterious ancient Mesopotamia and the richness of its Sumerian, Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations. A fascinating journey into the past awaits you at !

The exhibition is open to all, free of charge, Monday to Friday, 10 h to 19 h, except public holidays. Last admission at 18 h 30.

The rediscovery of Mesopotamia began in 1842, near present-day Mosul. At the Khorsabad site, French consul Paul-Émile Botta led the very first archaeological digs in the region. He uncovered a spectacular monument : the palace of the Assyrian king Sargon, who reigned in the ^8th century BC. In addition to the magnificent remains, he discovered extensive inscriptions, engraved in a script known as cuneiform because of its wedge-shaped signs.

This script had already been spotted elsewhere, notably in Persia on monuments to the kings Darius and Xerxes. But no one had yet succeeded in deciphering it. In the following years, thanks to texts discovered by H. Layard at Nimrud and then Nineveh, researchers succeeded in unlocking its secrets. The deciphering of cuneiform paved the way for a new discipline : Assyriology. Henceforth, knowledge of Mesopotamian Civilization was no longer based solely on biblical or Greek accounts : we began to understand it from the inside.

Among the pioneers of this intellectual adventure, one name stands out : Jules Oppert (1825-1905). After taking part in an archaeological expedition to Babylon between 1851 and 1854, he played a key role in the beginnings of Assyriology.In 2025, will pay tribute to him on the occasion of twoimportant anniversaries:  the bicentenary of his birth and the one hundred and fifty years since the creation of the Chair of Assyrian Philology and Archaeology at the Collège de France, of which he was the first holder. A colloquium, entitled "  JulesOppert (1825-1905) et l'assyriologie de son temps " ( JulesOppert and the Assyriology of his time) is being organized onJune20 2025 , and will be complemented by an exhibition.

The exhibition at the Institute of Civilizations highlights the dual challenge of deciphering cuneiform writing and translating texts written in Akkadian, a Semitic language, but also in Sumerian, a language with no known kin. We discover the methods used to reproduce the inscriptions, with specially created typefaces ; or the first photographs of the clay tablets from King Assurbanipal's famous library, taken by Roger Fenton at the British Museum between 1854 and 1856.

Numerous documents also retrace Jules Oppert's career : his lectures, his publications, his role in the birth of the Revue d'assyriologie, still alive today. We also learn that he was an active member of numerous learned societies and took part in congresses all over Europe. Finally, the exhibition pays tribute to his scientific legacy, which continues to inspire researchers today.

Practical information

The exhibition is free and open to the public fromJune18 toSeptember21 2025, Monday to Friday (closed on weekends and public holidays), from 10  hto 19  h(last admission 30 minutes before closing). It takes place at the Institute of Civilizations of the Collège de France, 52 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine - 75005 Paris.

The exhibition is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Colloquium

In January 1874, Jules Oppert was appointed to thenewly-created Philologie et archéologie assyrienneschairat the Collège de France , a position he held for over thirty years, until his death in 1905. The 2025 symposium commemorates not only the bicentenary of his birth, but also the exceptional legacy he left to the study of ancient civilizations.

This colloquium is not simply a celebration : it is part of an in-depth research project on the history of Assyriology, carried out within the framework of the Mesopotamian Civilization chair.It aims to explore the emergence of this discipline. Through fourteen papers, some of them using previously unpublished sources, the event will enable us to rediscover Oppert and his fundamental role in the birth of Assyriology, a field in perpetual renewal.

June20 2025, Maurice Halbwachs amphitheatre.

Credits and partners

The exhibition is organized by Collège de France with the support of the Hugot Foundation and UMR 7192.

Scientific committee

Jean-Marie Durand, Thomas Römer and Nele Ziegler

Commissariat : Dominique Charpin, Professor at the Collège de France, Loraine Marcheix, Head of the Ancient Near East Library at the Institute of Civilizations, and Antoine Jacquet, researcher attached to the Mesopotamian Civilization Chair.

The Collège de France would like to express its sincere thanks to the lending organizations :

- Bibliothèque de l'Institut de France
- Imprimerie nationale
- Institut français d'études byzantines of the ICP
- Société asiatique

Illustration captions : Khorsabad excavations circa 1852, Gabriel Tranchand calotype (Archives du Collège de France) and portrait of Jules Oppert by Jacques Pilartz circa 1897 (Archives du Collège de France).