Antoine Poidebard and the Origins of Aerial Archeology in the Levant

In conjunction with the exhibition In the Clouds: A Selection of Aerial Views from The Fouad Debbas Collection, archeologist Lévon Nordiguian will give a talk about the challenges of aerial photography in the early 20th century, and the political context in which it developed in the region.

Lévon Nordiguian is a Lebanese archeologist. Recent publications include Chateaux et églises du Moyen Âge au Liban, Les Temples de l’époque romaine au Liban, Aux origines de la photographie aérienne, A. Poidebard (1878-1955) (2000) and Une aventure archéologique : Antoine Poidebard, photographe et aviateur (2004). He is the former director of the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory (FLSH-USJ) and currently the director of the Photothèque of the Oriental Library at Saint Joseph University.