Claude Thibault

Claude Thibault (15 August 1933 – March 1980) was a French geologist and prehistorian affiliated with the University of Bordeaux. Active during the 1960s and 1970s, he was a pioneer of interdisciplinary research combining geology, sedimentology, and Paleolithic archaeology in southwestern France and beyond.

Biography

Claude Thibault was born on 15 August 1933 in Soussac, in the department of Gironde, France. Trained as a geologist, he devoted his career to studying Quaternary sediments, stratigraphy, and prehistoric open-air sites in the Aquitaine region. His work sought to integrate geological analysis with archaeological interpretation, laying the foundations for what would later be called geoarchaeology.

Thibault conducted extensive fieldwork across southwestern France, particularly in Aquitaine, the Landes, the Basque Country, and the Dordogne. He participated in the study of several key Paleolithic localities, including the sites of Saint-Pierre-d’Irube and Chabiague, where his sedimentological studies helped clarify the stratigraphic context of lithic industries and early human occupations.

In the 1970s, Thibault also contributed to international research in geology and prehistory. He took part in fieldwork at the Kashafrud in northeastern Iran, and in regions north of the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran. These missions identified several significant Lower Paleolithic localities, contributing to a broader understanding of early human dispersal in southwest Asia.

Claude Thibault died in March 1980 while on a scientific mission at North Africa. His death was announced in the Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française in 1981. His colleagues remembered him as a rigorous and dedicated scientist whose work strengthened the methodological links between the earth sciences and prehistoric archaeology.

Research focus

Thibault's research primarily addressed:

Sedimentology and stratigraphy of Quaternary formations in southwestern France;
Relationships between geological processes and archaeological site formation;
Identification of Paleolithic industries in open-air contexts;
Comparative studies of prehistoric sites in France and Iran.

His interdisciplinary approach was instrumental in promoting cooperation between geologists and archaeologists, influencing later generations of researchers in prehistoric studies.

Selected publications

Thibault, C. (1967). "Le gisement des Jambes, Périgueux (Dordogne): Étude sédimentologique." Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française.

Thibault, C. (1968). "La station de plein air du Basté à Saint-Pierre-d’Irube (Pyrénées-Atlantiques): Étude géologique et archéologique." Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française.

Thibault, C. (1975). "Études géologiques des formations quaternaires du littoral de la mer Caspienne (Iran)." Cahiers du Quaternaire.

Thibault, Cl. (1975) Outillage archaïque sur galets dans le Khorassan (Est de l’Iran). Bulletin de la société préhistorique française. 72,8: 226.

Thibault, C. (1978). "La station de plein air de Chabiague à Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)." Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française, 75, 8520. Available on Persée.

Thibault, C. (1976). Les civilisations du Paléolithique inférieur dans le Sud-Ouest (Pays Basque, Landes, Gironde)' Bordeaux: Université de Bordeaux.

Ariai, A., and C. Thibault, (1975–77) "Nouvelles précisions à propos de l'outillage paléolithique ancien sur galets du Khorassan (Iran)," Paléorient 3, Pp. 101–8.

Legacy

Though his life and career were brief, Thibault's work left a lasting imprint on prehistoric and Quaternary research in France. His detailed geological analyses of archaeological sites continue to be cited in studies of southwestern France's Paleolithic record. Modern geoarchaeological programs at the University of Bordeaux and other French institutions build upon the methodological framework he helped to establish.

References

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