Nicolas Fréret

Nicolas Fréret

Nicolas Fréret (born February 15, 1688 in Paris , † March 8, 1749 ibid) was a French historian. His interest was in ancient history and mythology .

Live and act

At the insistence of his father, Fréret first studied law and worked for the bar association. In 1714 he presented the study Sur l'origine des Francs on the origin of the Franks , in which, unlike in the previous legends, he characterized the Franks as a South Germanic tribe. This point of view undermined the identity and legitimation of the French ruling house, which is why he was put in the Bastille . Until his release in March 1715 he spent three months in captivity and during this time he was mainly concerned with the works of Xenophon . A year later in January 1716 Fréret became a corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres . In the following years he dealt with the separation of legends and history as well as with the chronology of ancient Egypt , which he saw as the origin of Chinese culture. He wrote numerous mémoires for the Académie, many of which remained unprinted during his lifetime. His studies of mythology did not end with the Greeks, but also covered the Celts , Teutons, Chinese and Indians. Through the mediation of Arcadio Huang, Fréret learned the Chinese language as one of the first scientists in Europe . After his death in 1749, several works of atheistic character were incorrectly attributed to him, presumably written by Paul Henri Thiry d'Holbach .

Works (selection)

Sciences et arts , 1796

• Sur l'origine des Francs . 1714
• Reflections on the prodiges reports in the anciens . 1717 (Mémoire)
• Reflections on the principes généraux de l'art d'écrire et en particulier sur les fondements de l'écriture chinoise . 1718 (Mémoire)
• Reflections generales sur l'étude des anciennes histoires et sur le degré de certitude des différentes preuves historiques . 1724 (Mémoire)
• Observations on the causes et sur quelques circonstances de la condamnation de Socrate . 1738 (Mémoire)
• De l'année vague cappadocienne . 1744
• Observations generales sur l'étude de la philosophie ancienne . 1744 (Mémoire)
• Observations on the religion of Gaulois et sur celle des Germains . 1747 (Mémoire)
• Research on the culte of Bacchus parmi les Grecs . 1749 (Mémoire)
• Observations sur les oracles rendus par les âmes des morts . 1749 (Mémoire)
• Vues générales sur l'origine & le mélange des anciennes Nations, & sur la manière d'en étudier l'histoire . Imprimerie Royale, Paris 1753
• Défense de la chronologie fondée sur les monumens de l'histoire ancienne, contre le systême chronologique de M. Newton . Durand, Paris 1758
• Mémoires académiques . Editor: Catherine Volpilhac-Auger. Fayard, Paris 1996. ISBN 2213597235

literature

• Jorge Cañizares-Esguerra: How to Write the History of the New World. Histories, Epistemologies, and ... Stanford University Press, Stanford 2001 ISBN 0804746931
• Corpus, revue de philosophie, Volume 29, Dossier spécial Fréret . Paris 1995