COUSINÉRY, Esprit Marie

Esprit Marie Cousinery (1747-1833) was a French scholar and diplomat from Marseilles. He studied numismatics, was a friend of Abbé Barthélemy and lived in the East for many years, as consul of France. He was serving in Trieste in 1771, in Smyrna in 1779 and in Rosetta, Egypt in 1784. He worked in the French consulate of Thessaloniki in the years 1773-1775 and was Consul General in the same city from 1786 to 1793.

Cousinery was removed from his position during the French Revolution and came back with the Restoration (1814-1819). During his time in Macedonia, he toured the region thoroughly, visiting Edessa, Serres, Philippoi, Mount Pangaion, Caval and Thasos as well as Thrace, recorded inscriptions and zealously collected ancient coins. He corresponded with Fauvel, French consul in Athens, who also made many drawings for the illustrations appearing in Cousinery’s work.

Cousinery wrote a chronicle of his travels, which includes a description of the land route from Cavala to Istanbul. The depth of his scientific knowledge and the validity of his observations and descriptions have often been subjects of debate. However, forty-five years later French archaeologist L. Heuzey commemorates and honours him by writing that Cousinery belongs to a generation of scholars who settled in the East and offered science valuable information. During his stay in the East and particularly while in Macedonia, Cousinery acquired a very large collection of coins – approximately ten thousand – which was sold in an auction in 1833.

Written by Ioli Vingopoulou

Coins of ancient Athens. Coins of the city of Neapolis (today Kavala) in Macedonia, which was a member of the Athenian League.

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