Charles de Brosses (born Dijon, 1709-d. 1777) was one of the most noteworthy French writers of the 18th century. He was the president of the parliament of Dijon (from 1741) and a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres of Paris (from 1746), and of the Académie des Sciences, Arts et Belles-Lettres of Dijon (from 1761). He was a close friend of Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon (1707-1788), the naturalist who wrote the Histoire naturelle, and a personal enemy of Voltaire (1694-1778), the famous philosopher, who barred his entry in the Académie française in 1770. Because he opposed the absolute power of the king, he was exiled twice, in 1744 and 1771. During his life, he wrote numerous academic papers on topics concerning ancient history, philology and linguistics, which were used by Diderot and D'Alembert in the Encyclopédie (1751-1765). Location within France Street in the center of Dijon Arc de triomphe known as the Porte Guillaume, on Place Darcy in the center of Dijon Dijon and suburbs Dijon ( ) is a city in eastern France, the préfecture (administrative capital) of the Côte-dOr département and of... // Events January 12 - Two-month freezing period begins in France - The coast of the Atlantic and Seine River freeze, crops fail and at least 24. ... 1777 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... // Events April 10 - Austrian army attack troops of Frederick the Great at Mollwitz August 10 - Raja of Travancore defeats Dutch East India Company naval expedition at Battle of Colachel December 19 - Vitus Bering dies in his expedition east of Siberia December 25 - Anders Celsius develops his own thermometer scale Celsius... // Events Catharine de Ricci (born 1522) canonized. ... 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, by François-Hubert Drouais (1727-1775). ... The last of Voltaires statues by Jean-Antoine Houdon (1781). ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... // Events The third French and Indian War, known as King Georges War, breaks out at Port Royal, Nova Scotia The First Saudi State founded by Mohammed Ibn Saud Prague occupied by Prussian armies Ongoing events War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) Births January 10 - Thomas Mifflin, fifth President... 1771 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Fig. ...

Publications

De Brosses published five books:

• Lettres sur l'état actuel de la ville souterraine d'Herculée et sur les causes de son ensevelissement sous les ruines du Vésuve, Dijon, 1750.

This contains a list of archeological discoveries from the excavation of Herculanus, including some ancient inscriptions in the Oscan language. Denarius of Marsican Confederation with Oscan legend. ...

• Histoire des navigations aux terres australes, contenant ce que l'on sait des moeurs et des productions des contrées découvertes jusqu'à ce jour, Paris, Durand, 1756; engl. trans. by J. Callender, Edinburgh, 1766-1768.; germ. trans. by J.C. Adelung, Halle, 1767.

This offers a long and detailed digest of travel reportage, which proved extremely useful to James Cook with respect to the discovery of Australia in 1770, and contains, to our knowledge, the first historical occurrence of the words "Polynésie" and "Australasie". James Cook, portrait by Nathaniel Dance, c. ...

• Du culte des dieux fétiches ou Parallèle de l'ancienne religion de l'Egypte avec la religion actuelle de Nigritie, [no pl.], [no ed.], 1760; germ. trans. by Pistorius, 1785.

This provides a materialistic theory of the origin of religion, and represents one of the first theoretical works in the discipline of ethno-anthropology. Notably it contains the first historical occurrence of the word "fétichisme", later borrowed by Karl Marx in 1842 and used in his Capital (1867). Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818, Trier, Germany – March 14, 1883, London) was an immensely influential German philosopher, political economist, and socialist revolutionary. ...

• Traité de la formation méchanique des langues et des principes physiques de l'étymologie, Paris, Saillant, 1765; 2nd ed.: Paris, Terrelongue, 1801; germ. trans.: Über Sprache und Schrift, by M. Hissmann, Leipzig, 1777; rus. trans.: Rassoujdenie o mekhanitcheskom sostave ïazykov i fizitcheskikh natchalakh etymologhii, by A. Nikolski, St. Petersburg, 1821-22.

This provides a materialistic theory of the origin and the evolution of language, where the meaning of words is considered as an image of the physiological articulation of sounds (see Sound Symbolism). It had an influence on Condillac's Grammaire (1775) and a very important role in the birth of a scientific conception of language. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Etienne Bonnot de Condillac. ...

• Histoire de la République romaine, dans le cours du VIIe siècle, par Salluste, en partie traduite du latin sur l'original, en partie rétablie et composée sur les fragmens qui sont restés de ses livres perdus, Dijon, Frantin, 1777.

This is a French translation of Sallust’s Historia, partially restored with the help of ancient fragments, and illustrated with topographical maps and archaeological founds. Gaius Sallustius Crispus, simply known as Sallust, (86-34 BC). ...

De Brosses is most remembered among the French schools for his posthumously published book:

• L'Italie il y a cent ans, ou Lettres écrites d'Italie à quelques amis en 1739 et 1740, ed. by M. R. Colomb, Paris, Levavasseur, 1836.

This book is a collection of cultured, witty, open-minded letters, sent by De Brosses to his friends in Dijon during his travel in Italy of 1739-1740. It was loved by Puskin and Stendhal. Stendhal [1783-1842] - French Writer Marie-Henri Beyle (January 23, 1783 – March 23, 1842), better known by his penname Stendhal, was a 19th century French writer. ...