Reverend Father Henri Fleisch (1 January 1904 – 10 February 1985) was a French archaeologist, missionary and Orientalist, known for his work on classical Arabic language and Lebanese dialect and prehistory in Lebanon.[1] Fleisch spent years recording and recovering lithics from prehistoric Lebanese archaeological sites and in 1954, it was confirmed that he had discovered and named a previously unknown proto-Neolithic culture in Lebanon called the Qaraoun culture that used a flint industry he termed Heavy Neolithic.[2]
Fleisch was born in Jonvelle (Haute-Saône), France. He entered the Society of Jesus in Lyon Fourvière in September 1921 and was ordained a Catholic priest on 24 August 1933, he celebrated his first mass at Jonvelle on 27 August. Fleisch was largely self-taught, specialising in oriental studies, for which he earned a doctorate at the Sorbonne in May 1943 with a thesis published on "Work and Memoirs of the Institute of Ethnology in Paris". He made many trips abroad and settled in Lebanon, where he discovered in Bikfaya in 1923–1926. He did his military service in Syria and was injured during a confrontation. Mobilized in 1939, he was taken prisoner on 19 June 1940 and held at Stalag XII, from where he was released in February 1941. From August 1945 he taught at the "Institut des Lettres Orientales" of Saint Joseph University in Beirut.[3] It was here that many of his archaeological finds were stored and in 2000 they formed The Museum of Lebanese Prehistory where many of his finds are stored and displayed. The museum celebrated their tenth anniversary with a posthumous exhibition of Fleisch's photography and work entitled "Prehistory vs. Urbanization".[4] He died, aged 81, in Lebanon, where he was buried.
He was the author of two hundred forty publications, including the Eastern dialects and was a specialist in Arabic, Greek, Latin, Syriac and Hebrew. He also wrote a small booklet on the French regional patois vocabulary of Jonvelle in 1951. He was the author of the Treaty of Arabic philology in 1961 and 1977. He distinguished himself by combining research prehistory and geology, discovering the site of Naama and carrying out work at Tell Jisr and Ras Beyrouth. Fleisch's most famous works are Introduction à l'Étude des langues sémitiques (1947),[5]L'Arabe classique (1968)[6] and Traité de philologie arabe, 1-2 (1961–79).[7]
^Glynendal - Henri Fleisch
^Fleisch, Henri, Nouvelles stations préhistoriques au Liban, BSPF, vol. 51, pp. 564-565, 1954.
^Henri Fleisch (1904-1985) on the website of Museum of Lebanese Prehistory. - The obituary P. Henry FLEISCH SJ. (1904-1985) in Paléorient. 1985, Vol. 11 No. 1. p. 5.
^Sfeir, Mia., Femme Magazine - Préhistoire VS Urbanisation, le témoignage d'Henri Fleisch - Issue 206 - P.70 Published June 1, 2010 Archived August 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
^Henri Fleisch (1947). Introduction à l'étude des langues sémitiques: éléments de bibliographie. Librairie d'Amérique et d'Orient. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
^Henri Fleisch (1968). L'arabe classique: esquisse d'une structure linguistique. Dar el-Machreq. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
^Henri Fleisch (1961). Traité de philologie arabe. Impr. catholique. ISBN 9782721456038. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
Reverend Father HenriFleisch (1 January 1904 – 10 February 1985) was a French archaeologist, missionary and Orientalist, known for his work on classical...
based on a limited typology collected by Jesuit archaeologist "Père" HenriFleisch. Lorraine Copeland and Peter J. Wescombe suggested it was possibly "of...
songwriter, and musician HenriFleisch (1904–1985), French archaeologist, missionary, and Orientalist Herbert Andre Fleisch (1933–2007), Swiss scientist...
discovered by M. Billaux and the materials recovered were documented by HenriFleisch in 1966. The area was lightly cultivated with a thin soil covering the...
University of Beirut (AUB) and International College Beirut (IC). In 1946, HenriFleisch from Saint Joseph University made an unstratified, open-air survey of...
away into a wadi. The site was discovered by Dubertret and studied by HenriFleisch in a publication of 1954 along with Jacques Cauvin in 1963. Materials...
about 200 m. The site was found by Dubertret with a collection made by HenriFleisch and Maurice Tallon that is now in the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory...
next thousand years, sheep and shepherding spread throughout Eurasia. HenriFleisch tentatively suggested that the Shepherd Neolithic industry of Lebanon...
typology is limited. It was termed the Shepherd Neolithic industry by HenriFleisch. Hermel I or Mrah Abbas was discovered by Shiat Ali el Karar w beit...
Lebanese highlands by HenriFleisch, who collected over one hundred flint tools within two hours on 2 September 1954 from the site. Fleisch discussed the discoveries...
products) for manufactured items not produced by the nomadic herders. HenriFleisch tentatively suggested the Shepherd Neolithic industry of Lebanon may...
and the main road between Bint Jbeil and Ain Ebel. They were found by HenriFleisch and noted to contain both Heavy Neolithic and Acheulean flint tools...
included Diana Kirkbride, Jacques Cauvin, Henri de Contenson, Maurice Dunand, Francis Hours, HenriFleisch, Robert John Braidwood, Ralph Solecki, W.J...
with a lustrous sheen, now held at the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory. HenriFleisch also found an Emireh point amongst material from the site, which has...
Lorraine Copeland and Frank Skeels in 1965 with materials examined by HenriFleisch. Worked tools were found made from abundant nodules of silicious, grey-yellow...
and the materials found were studied by HenriFleisch and Maurice Tallon. Findings were published by Fleisch in 1966. The site is located 1 kilometre...
end-scrapers, another series of large cores and flakes were found that HenriFleisch considered similar to materials found at Serain and Fleywe that were...
Chouf and Kesrouan. The Mayroubian type of site was first detected by HenriFleisch, who collected surface finds of flint tools and defined a typological...
the road from Ain Ebel to Rmaich. It was discovered by Jesuit priest HenriFleisch, whilst out prospecting for prehistoric sites in 1950, who published...
Jesuits including Maurice Tallon, Auguste Bergy, Francis Hours and HenriFleisch. Fleisch admitted that it was not the best choice for a type site due to...
south of the track at 690 m above sea level by Jesuit archaeologist HenriFleisch, who did not publish it but confirmed that the Qaraoun culture was present...
the Qaraoun sites or indeed of any arrowheads, burins or millstones. HenriFleisch noted that the culture that produced this industry may well have led...
American University of Beirut, and the private collection of Dr. Gigues. HenriFleisch noticed an Upper Paleolithic level with further finds including polished...
collected tools made out of shiny, yellow flint that were examined by HenriFleisch and M. Gigout. Middle Paleolithic forms were found there including Levallois...
south in the direction of Debel. Materials were found on the site by HenriFleisch and were stored with the Saint Joseph University (now the Museum of...
the Saint Joseph University (now the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory). HenriFleisch determined the collection also included some later Neolithic pieces...
Directors Nadine Labaki Hiba Tawaji Historians Jean Maurice Fiey HenriFleisch Paul Huvelin Henri Lammens Columnists Georges Corm Randa Habib Peter Scholl-Latour...
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