Early texts on the Cenozoic fossils of Aquitaine (1622–1767)

12 Pages·2017·5.4 MB·French

by  Godard Gaston

BSGF- Earth Sciences Bulletin 2018, 189,8
©G.Godard, Published byEDP Sciences 2018
https://doi.org/10.1051/bsgf/2018007
Available online at:
www.bsgf.fr
–
Early texts on the Cenozoic fossils of Aquitaine (1622 1767)
and pioneering debates on the organic origin of fossils,
the superpositioning of strata and the mobility of the seas
Gaston Godard*
Université Paris-Diderot, IPGP,UMR7154CNRS, 1 rueJussieu, Paris 75238,France
Received: 5January 2018/ Accepted:17April 2018
Abstract – Several unpublished or little known writings from the 17th–18th centuries deal with the
Bordeauxregion’s“figuredstones”,whichareactuallyMiocenefossils.TheoldestworkisabookbyPierre
de L’Ancre (1622), where the author describes the shelly sediments of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont and relates
Louis XIII’s visit there in October 1620. De L’Ancre is unsure as to the origin ofthe fossil shells, which
couldbeascribedtoconsolidationofthehostsedimentsduringlengthyagesafterawithdrawalofthesea,
transport from the Ocean by the Flood or in-situ development through «esbatement de la nature» (i.e., a
freakofnature).Histextisremarkableforitsdescriptionofthelayers,whichtheauthornames«estages»
(i.e.,stages)anddescribesfromthebottomup,suggestingthathegraspedtheprincipleofsuperpositionlater
developedbySteno(1669).Alatermanuscript,keptattheArsenalLibraryinParis,waswrittenbetween
1631and1673byanunknownauthor:entitledReflectionssommairessurquelquespierresdelaTerrede
Sales. It deals with the origin of the fossils in the shelly sands of Salles, south of Bordeaux. The author
prefersthehypothesisofin-situ developmentinsoilratherthananorganicmarineorigin,thusremaining
faithful to the “freaks of nature” thesis frequently accepted at the time. In the 18th century, the Bordeaux
Academy discussed the origin of these fossils. In 1718, Father Jules Bellet and Isaac Sarrau de Boynet
studiedtheshellsofSainte-Croix-du-Mont;theysuggestedanorganicorigininviewofthescarleftbythe
adductor muscle on the shells and the effervescence of the latter in vinegar. Sarrau de Boynet, however,
refused to admit that the sea had reached this village and adopted the extravagant thesis of an anthropic
accumulation of oysters, which Montesquieu approved only reluctantly. From 1745 on, Jacques-François
Bordad’OrobeganthestudyofEocenesitesandfossilsintheDaxregion;theobservationofLithophaga,
incompatible with a transport by the Flood, reinforced him in his conviction of a marine origin. Nicolas
Desmarest observed fossils in 1761, in particular near Saint-Émilion, and was convinced of their marine
origin.In1743and1745,theBordeauxAcademyorganizedessaycompetitionsontheoriginofthe“figured
stones”.Thecandidateswereinfavouroftheorganicorigin,butignoredtheshellysedimentsoftheregion.
One of these candidates, Pierre Barrère, surprisingly states the principle of uniformitarianism as early as
1745.Thesewritings,amongthefirstdevotedtothegeologyoftheAquitaineBasin,illustratethatcertain
basicelementsofmodernpalaeontologyandstratigraphywerealreadygraspedinthe17thand18thcenturies.
Keywords:historyofgeology/principleofsuperposition/uniformitarianism/originoffossils/Miocene/Aquitaine
(France)
Résumé – Premiers écrits sur les fossiles cénozoïques d’Aquitaine (1622–1767) et débats
précurseurs sur l’origine organique des fossiles, la superposition des strates et la mobilité des
mers.Plusieurs écrits des 17e ou 18e siècles, inédits ou peu connus, traitent des «pierres figurées» de la
région bordelaise–en réalité, des fossiles miocènes. Le plus ancien est un mémoire inclus dans les
Advertissemensd’unlivredePierredeL’Ancre(1622),oùl’auteurdécritlegisementdefalunsdeSainte-
Croix-du-Montetrelatelavisitequ’yfitLouisXIIIenoctobre1620.DeL’Ancres’interrogesurl’origine
descoquillesetdessédiments,hésitantentreunancienséjourdelamersuivid’uneconsolidation«parde
longs siècles», un transport par le Déluge depuis l’Océan et une formation in-situ par «esbatement de la
nature». Son texte est par ailleurs remarquable par la description des couches, que l’auteur nomme
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
ThisisanOpenAccessarticledistributedunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttributionLicense(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0),whichpermits
unrestricteduse,distribution,andreproductioninanymedium,providedtheoriginalworkisproperlycited.
G.Godard: BSGF2018, 189,8
«estages»etdécritdebasenhaut,cequisuggèrequ’ilpercevaitleprincipedesuperpositionqueSténon
(1669)n’avaitpasencoreénoncé.Unmanuscritplustardif,conservéàlaBibliothèquedel’ArsenalàParis,
futrédigéentre1631et1673parunauteurinconnu.IntituléReflectionssommairessurquelquespierresdela
Terre de Sales, il traite de l’origine des faluns de Salles, au sud de Bordeaux. L’auteur y privilégie
l’hypothèse d’unegénération in-situdans lesolplutôt qu’uneorigineorganique marine,etdemeureainsi
fidèleàl’hypothèsedes«jeuxdelanature»encoremajoritairementadmise.Au18esiècle,l’Académiede
Bordeaux s’empare du débat sur l’origine de ces fossiles. En 1718, l’abbé Jules Bellet et Isaac Sarrau de
BoynetétudientlesfalunsdeSainte-Croix-du-Montetserangentàuneorigineorganique,démontréeselon
Boynetparl’empreintelaisséeparlemuscleadducteursurlescoquillesetparl’effervescencedecelles-ciau
vinaigre.SarraudeBoynetserefusetoutefoisàadmettrequelameraitpuatteindrecelieuetadoptelathèse
extravaganted’unamoncellementanthropiqued’huîtres,queMontesquieun’approuvequ’avecréticence.À
partir de 1745, Jacques-François Borda d’Oro entreprend l’étude des terrains et fossiles (éocènes) de la
régiondeDax;l’observationdelithophages,incompatiblesavecunapportparleDéluge,leconfortedanssa
conviction d’une origine marine. Nicolas Desmarest, qui a observé des fossiles lors de deux voyages
entrepris en 1761 en Guyenne, notamment dans les environs de Saint-Émilion, puis en Périgord et en
Gascogne,nedoutepasdeleuroriginemarine.En1743puis1745,l’AcadémiedeBordeauxorganisedes
concours de dissertation sur l’origine des pierres figurées. Les candidats se prononcent pour l’origine
organique,maisméconnaissentlesfalunsdelarégionets’entiennentàdesgénéralités.L’und’eux,Pierre
Barrère,noussurprendenénonçantleprinciped’uniformitarismedès1745.Cesécrits,parmilespremiers
consacrésàlagéologieduBassinaquitain,illustrentquecertainsconceptsdebasedelapaléontologieetde
la stratigraphie modernes étaient déjà perçus aux 17e et 18e siècles.
Mots clés :histoire de la géologie / principe de superposition / uniformitarisme / origine des fossiles / Miocène /
Bassinaquitain
Inthe17thcenturythethesisoftheorganicoriginoffossils, dedicated, had visited the oyster deposit at his house of
then called “figured stones”, was still unable to convincingly Loubenstwoyearsearlier.Althoughverydisappointedtohave
explaintheirpuzzlingpresenceinplacesdistantfromthesea. been away at the time, Pierre de L’Ancre was obsequious
AnumberofscholarslivinginBordeaux(France),confronted enoughtoputondisplaya“PrayerfortheKing”intheNotre-
with the extraordinary abundance of fossils in the Miocene Dame’schapelatLoubens(Communay,1890,p.34–35)(see
faluns (i.e., shelly sediments) of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont and Fig. 3).
Salles, in Guyenne, debated this question. We here present In twenty-five pages interspersed with many digressions,
several unpublishedorlittle knownmemoirsontheGuyenne the author describes the shelly sediments–now known to be
fossiliferousfaluns,suchasthoseofPierredeL’Ancre(1622), Miocene–that crop out on the hillside of Sainte-Croix-du-
variousmembersoftheBordeauxAcademy(1718–1767)and Mont, located on the right bank of the Garonne, 40km
NicolasDesmarest(1761),beforetracingtheevolutionofthe southeastofBordeaux(L’Ancre,1622,p.17–42ofAdvertisse-
ideas they reveal. mens).TherePierredeL’AncreownedtheestateofLoubens,
comprising a troglodyte chapel dug in the famous level of
fossil oysters (Fig. 3). He describes «huistres [oysters...],
1 Pierre de L’Ancre teaches Louis XIII a
coquillages [shells...], langues de serpent [Glossopetrae, i.e.
lesson on geology (1622) shark teeth: Fig. 4], & limaçons à plusieurs retortillons
[gastropods]». He recounts the visit that Louis XIII and his
PierredeRosteguydeL’Ancre(1553–1631),acounsellor brotherGastond’Orléansmadetothisdepositontheirwayto
at the Parliament of Bordeaux, is known for his books on Béarn at the beginning of October 1620.
demonology(L’Ancre,1612,1617,1622,1627)andforhaving Pierre de L’Ancre wonders about the origin of these
persecuted and sent the alleged witches of Labourd (Basque oysters. He is undecided between a transport by the biblical
Country)tothestake(e.g.,Communay,1890;Français,1910, Flood and an in-situ generation through a freak of nature
p.150–159).Inordertoconvincethescepticsofthemeritsof («esbatement de la nature»), while also considering that
his policy of terror against witches, in 1622 he published marine sediments which emerged through movements of the
L’incredulité et mescreance du sortilege plainement con- seacouldhaveconsolidatedoverlengthyages(«pardelongs
uaincue, a book that has become very rare today (L’Ancre, siecles»,p.35).Hewrites:“wesee[...]theseaswhicharein
1622;seeClimens,1884)(Fig.1;cf.AppendixA1).Withthe perpetual agitation, some withdrawing, others flooding, and
exceptionoftheprofessorofagricultureAugustePetit-Lafitte the shape of innumerable sites undergoing change” («nous
(1846,1867),naturalistsandgeologistshavepaidnoattention voyonstouslesiourscroistrelesMontagnes&Rochers,&les
to this book, although its Advertissemens contain one of the lieuxfossoyez&creusezseremplird’euxmesmes,&d’autres
earliest–ifnotthefirst–geologicalmemoirsontheAquitaine, se diminuer & changer: Et les Mers qui sont en perpetuelle
devotedtothefamousfossiloysterdepositofSainte-Croix-du- agitation, les vnes se reculer, les autres inonder; & la face
Mont(Fig.2).Althoughthistopicwastotallyextraneoustothe d’vne infinité de lieux se diuersifier», p. 35). He cites many
subjectmatterofthebook,theauthoraddresseditjustbecause ancient writers, more to display his Classical culture than to
he was proud that King Louis XIII, to whom the book is enlightenthedebate,andreportsonobservationsmadewhile
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secondestageallantàmont,estd’vnCoquillageenforme
de petits limassons entortillez, que Tertullien appelle
Buccinae»). These small “twisted” gastropods could be
Potamides,veryabundantinsandyclaysoftheAquitanian
(Lower Miocene), which pass to sandstones rich in
numerousinternalmouldsoflamellibranchsandespecially
of gastropods (Potamides). Pierre de L’Ancre probably
observedthisfaciesalongthepathbelowtheLoubenscliff
(e.g.,44°35'25.1"N;0°16'40.5"W;1inFig.2).Thispath
isedgedwithspringsformedinrelationtotheunderlying
clay levels (e.g., 44° 35' 26.9" N; 0° 16' 45.8" W; 2 in
Fig. 2). De L’Ancre recalls that Louis XIII walked along
this“alleyoffountains”,where“thereisstillanotherkind
ofsmallershellsthatdiffercompletely”fromtheoystersof
the highest levels;
– “Above,thereisanotherlayerofhardstone:andafterwards
thereisagreatcliff”(«Audessusilyaencorevnecouche
de Pierre dure: & apres se trouue une grande leuée»).
Upslopethereisafifteenmetre-thickcliffwithmetre-sized
strataofcross-beddedcalcareoussandstone(Fig.5b;e.g.,
44°35'30.7"N;0°16'51.3"W;3and4inFig.2)thatisrich
in Ostrea and contains Scutella bonali and Amphiope
ovalifera of the Burdigalian (Lower Miocene);
– then comes “a third stage of other piled up oysters” («vn
troisiesme estage d’autres Huistres amoncellées») repre-
senting the famous oyster bed of the Burdigalian (Lower
Miocene), which is very rich in Ostrea aquitanica Mayer
andcanreach4metersinthickness(Fig.5a;e.g.,5and6in
Fig. 2). Some cellars and caves under the church and the
castle of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont were dug in this level, as
well as the troglodyte chapel visited by Louis XIII at
Loubens(Fig.3;ca.44°35'27.5"N;0°16'45.4"W;near2
in Fig. 2);
Fig. 1. Title page of L’incredulité et mescreance du sortilège...by – “And still above, almost at the top of the rough boulders,
PierredeL’Ancre (1622). [...] there are big oyster shells attached” («Et encores au
©BibliothèquenationaledeFrance(BNF);http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/
dessus & presque au sommet des pieces de Rocher
12148/bpt6k763251; seeAppendix A1. scabreuses, [...] il y a de grandes Escailles [d’huistres]
attachées»). The roof of the caves is indeed made of a
touringItalybetween1574and1579,duringwhichhevisited hardened layer inlaid with oysters and crowning the cliff.
Calabria,Naples,Florence,RavennaandVenice.Afterlengthy
discussion and numerous caveats, he still comes to no
definitive conclusion.
2 The “summary reflections” on the stones
Thetextismainlyworthyofnoteforthepassage(p.40)in
which the author describes the sequence of layers: he of Salles (circa 1650)
enumerates them from bottom to top and names them
«estages»(i.e.,stages).Thiskindofgeologicalcross-section The secondtext,morerecentbutactuallymorearchaicin
was surveyed at Loubens, where an embankment some 25 terms of ideas, is an unpublished manuscript entitled
metres high is crowned by the famous fossil oyster level and Reflections sommaires sur quelques pierres de la Terre de
extends north-westwards as far as Sainte-Croix-du-Mont (up Sales. This document, stored in the Philibert de La Mare’s
to6 inFig.2).De L’Ancre’sdescription is precise enoughto collection atthe Arsenal Libraryin Paris(seeAppendix A2),
assign these “stages” to the various formations described by describestheNeogeneformationsandMiocenefossilsaround
modern geologists (e.g., Alvinerie and Dubreuilh, 1978): Salles,some45kmsouthwestofBordeauxand50kmwestof
– “ThebaseandfootoftheRockisofhardstone”(«Labase Sainte-Croix-du-Mont.
& pied du Rocher est de pierre dure & nettesans autre The manuscript is anonymous and undated, but it was
meslange»). This could be a fluvio-lacustrine limestone likely written between 1631 and 1673, since it mentions
withtracesofPlanorbisascribedtotheUpperOligocene. Arnaud de Pontac as president of the Bordeaux Parliament
Below this “rock”, the Oligocene is represented by marls (Pontac was appointed president à mortier in 1631 and First
and clays, resulting in a more gentle topography with presidentfrom1653to1673:LeMao,2007).InPhilibertdeLa
meadows and vines; Mare’scollection, the Reflections sommaires arepreceded by
– “Thesecondstagegoinguphill,isofashellintheformof anothermanuscriptdealingwiththefossilsoftheMontagnede
smalltwistedsnails,whichTertulliancallsBuccinae”(«Le Rheims (Champagne) that was written by the Jesuit Jacques
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Fig. 2.Map ofSainte-Croix-du-Mont.
Cadastral plan anddigital elevation model fromInstitut géographique national (©IGN).
Fig.3.TroglodyteChapelofLoubens,visitedbyLouisXIIIin1620.
The chapel was dug in the Burdigalian oyster level, the base of
whichisabout40cmabovegroundlevel;postcardoftheearly20th
century.The“PrayerfortheKing”(i.e.,LouisXIII)hasapparently
beenremoved. Fig.4. Glossopetrae according to Steno (Steensen,1667).
Steno demonstrated that the Glossopetrae are in fact fossil shark
teeth.
Vignierinaround1655(Godard,2014,2017).Althoughthese
twomanuscriptsbelongtothesameportfolio,thedifferences
in style and scientific ideas indicate that they are not by the The author of the manuscript describes the fossiliferous
same author. We do not know how these manuscripts were sandstones that crop out in the Eyre Valley, near Salles
acquiredbythebibliophileandhistorianPhilibertdeLaMare (Guyenne,nowinGironde),underthePleistocenecoverofthe
(1615–1687), who was a counsellor at the Burgundy LandesdeGascogne.Whatimpressedhim,asnodoubtmany
Parliament in Dijon. His collection was acquired by the observers before him, were the Serravalian shelly sandstones
French Royal Library under the Regent Philippe d’Orléans, (MiddleMiocene) ofthebanks oftheEyre (Fig.5c;e.g., 44°
and was later transferred to the Arsenal Library in Paris 32' 57" N; 0° 52' 21" W), rich in abundant and varied fossil
(Muteau and Garnier, 1858–1860, vol. 2, p. 21). fauna(Platel,1992).Thedescriptionhegives,however,isvery
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Fig. 5.Photographs ofthe fossiliferous sediments.
a:BurdigalianoysterlevelatSainte-Croix-du-Mont(6inFig.2);b:cliffmadeupofcross-beddedcalcareoussandstoneatSainte-Croix-du-
Mont(4 in Fig.2);c: fossiliferous sandstoneat Salles(S : N18°W27°).
0
poor. Among the fossils reported, there are cone-shaped 17th century. He names minerals and plants which, like the
“snails” (gastropods), “shells” (lamellibranchs) and “tongues fossils,formspontaneouslyandtakesingularformsinorderto
ofserpents”(Glossopetrae),whichtheauthordoesnotidentify be imbued with certain specific (alleged) properties. It is no
assharkteeth,unlikehiscontemporariesColonna(1616)and coincidencethatthe“tonguesofserpents”foundinthesoil–in
Steno (Steensen, 1667) (Fig. 4). He also very succinctly actual fact fossilized shark teeth (Fig. 4)–are shaped like
describestherocksoftheregion,mentioningsomewhitemarl tongues: reduced to a powder, they are used in gargles for
(«pierres [...] blanches et molles»), reddish sand («sable treating tongue diseases.
rougeastre»), iron-rich stone («pierre mine de fer») and
«alios», a sandstone typical of the Landes de Gascogne
3 The works of the Bordeaux Academy
containing a cement rich in iron hydroxide.
The anonymous author focuses especially on explaining (1718–1767)
the presence of marine fossils in an area so far from the
sea–Sallesislocated30kmfromtheOcean.Heconsiderstwo Atthebeginningofthe18thcentury,theAcadémieroyale
contrasting hypotheses: desbelles-lettres,sciencesetartsdeBordeauxbegantodebate
– atransportoftheshellsbythebiblicalFlood.Accordingto theoriginoftheSainte-Croix-du-Montoystershells(seealso
theauthor,“itisagainstalllikelihood”that“atthetimeof Courteault, 1909). A memoir on this deposit, sent by Jules
Noah the swelling Ocean pushed these shells onto this Bellet, priest at Cadillac and founding member of the
land”(que«autempsdeNoë[...]l’oceansedesbordantayt Academy, was read during the session of May 8, 1718
poussé ces coquilles jusques dans cette terre[...]c’est (AppendixA3.1).FatherBellethasnodoubtthatitconsistsof
choquerlavraysemblance»).Hehasthreeobjectionstothe “marine oyster shells” and cites ancient and modern authors
Flood, formulated with more or less clarity: (i) he doubts who have reported the presence of such shells inland; he is
“that these shells could have been preserved for so many convinced that the sea was once present in the area and “left
centuries” after the Flood; (ii) he objects that “we [theshells]hereduringitswithdrawal”.Basedontheancient
sometimes only observe the imprint of their figure”; (iii) texts,hestatesthatinRomantimestheshorewasclosetothe
hadtheybeencarriedby“theuniversalFlood”,theseshells presentone,andthatconsequentlytheseaatSainte-Croix-du-
wouldbeequallyabundantbetweenSallesandtheOcean. MontdatesbacktotheFlood,whichhebelievesoccurred4115
Indeed,theMiocenesandsandsandstonesofSallesappear years ago–the author covered the margins of his manuscript
tobeveryfossiliferous,whereasthePleistocenesandsand with numbers relating to this calculation. In the rest of the
gravelslocatedfartherwesttowardstheOceanarealmost memoir,FatherBelletbrieflydescribessomeoutcrops,recalls
azoic; thevisitofLouisXIIItoLoubensandtranscribesthe“Prayer
– the second hypothesis, known as the “freaks of nature”, for the King” that Pierre de L’Ancre composed for the
deniestheorganicoriginoffossils,whichareconsideredto occasion.
form spontaneously in-situ in the mass of rocks. The Bellet’sreportexcitedthecuriosityoftheAcademy.Anote
author,imbuedwithAristotelianphilosophy,giveshisown on the margins of his manuscript indicates that an excerpt of
version: these seashells “are formed from moisture in the thememoirwassenttotheRegentPhilipped’Orléans,together
soil through the influence of certain stars” («se forment withamapdrawnupbyBarrelierdeBitry,chiefengineeratthe
d’une humidité de la terre exhausté par les influances de Bordeaux fortress of Château-Trompette. This map, entitled
certains astres»). In his view, earth, one of the four Vüe de la Coste de Ste Croix du mont, is now stored at the
classical elements of Empedocles and Aristotle, can Bibliothèquedel’InstitutinParis(Fig.6;AppendixA3.5),but
generate these shells if it is moist rather than dry. there is no trace of the associated memoir.
During the summer of 1718, several members of the
The author also expounds beliefs inherited from the Academy travelled to Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, and on 25
medieval lapidaries and which are no longer relevant in the August,1718,IsaacSarraudeBoynetreadanewmanuscript
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a prodigious quantity of oyster shells has been found within
layersofsoftstoneabout4to5inchesthick.Insomepiecesof
aboulderthatfellintotheDordogneRiver,oneseespetrified
scallops and sometimes imprints of other shells” (see
AppendixA4.1fortheoriginaltext).TheNougarèdedeposit,
locatedatFleixontherightbankoftheDordogne(ca.44°51'5
9.5"N;0°14'20"E),isalsoknownasBois-du-Mignon.Itwas
studied by Fallot (1887), who reported Ostrea longirostris in
UpperLudianclays(LateEocene;likelyEarlyOligocene).“In
the parish of Monfaucon, next to that of Fleix, at the place
named Barbeyrole”, continues Jules Bellet, “a quarry of hard
stone has been opened, where one cannot detach a stone
without finding attached a horn of Ammon, together with
petrifiedoystershellsthatstillhavetheirnacre.Wehavealso
found petrified shells with their natural colours”. The rocks
aroundBarbeyrolle(44°52'55"N;0°13'52"E)belongtothe
Upper Eocene and Oligocene (Dubreuilh and Karnay, 1994),
where it is indeed surprising to find “horns of Ammon” (i.e.,
ammonites), probably confused here with gastropods. Sarrau
de Boynet presented Bellet’s findings to the Academy. In his
report(AppendixA4.2),Boynetcomparestheseshellstothose
of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont and favours an organic origin, an
opinion shared by Father Bellet, who however naively
attributesthe“hornsofAmmon”torealpetrifiedhorns(A4.1).
AnothermemberoftheAcademy ofBordeaux, Godefroy
deBaritault,wasespeciallyconcernedwithfossils:hereportedly
mentioned the rich deposit of Saucats in 1738 and undertook
amethodicalclassificationofshellsandfossilsfromtheLandes
Fig. 6.«Vüedela Coste deSteCroix dumont» (1718). deGascogne(Courteault,1909),butwedidnotfindevidence
Map and perspective view by Barrelier de Bitry (1718), 51.5 oftheseresearchesinthearchivesoftheAcademy.
cm(cid:2)53.5cm at a scale of 9.4cm per 100 “toises” (ca. 1: 2100; 1 Jacques-François Borda d’Oro (1718–1804), lieutenant-
toise ≈ 1.95m), with topographic profile (left) from the River general of the presidial of Dax in Gascony (southern
Garonne (I) to Loubens (E); details of the cliff at Sainte-Croix-du- Aquitaine), was received corresponding member of the
Mont (bottom left) and Loubens (bottom right) are shown Academy on April 4, 1745, then full member on August 27,
(©Bibliothèque de l’Institut; see Appendix A3.5). The cliff is 1767(Coste,1908).Hebroughttogetheralargecollectionof
represented from the castle (A) to its SE edge (H), with a mottled fossils and rocks of the Dax region (Desmarest et al., an
patternindicatingtheoyster-richlevel(e.g.,betweenCandD).The III-1828,t.3,p.586;OdinandZubillaga,2005),towhichhe
lettersrefertoamissingmemoir;A:castle;B:church;C:ravine(?); devoted important memoirs (Appendix A5.5) (Borda d’Oro,
D, E, F: Loubens; "O": troglodyte chapel; K: access to “allée des 1879–1881). These manuscripts, which he tried (in vain) to
pins",where LouisXIIIlanded in1620. publish (Borda [d’Oro], 1798), are now stored at the Société
BordaofDaxandhaverecentlybeenstudiedbyOdin(2004,
2005). Borda d’Oro also sent several memoirs on the same
onthesubjectbeforetheAcademy(AppendixA3.2andA3.3). region to the Bordeaux Academy (Appendix A5.1–A5.4). In
Hedescribedtheoutcropsandthe“veinofshells”betweentwo oneofthem,writtenin1745(A5.1),hedescribesthe(Lutetian)
“hardstonebeds”.Healsostudiedthefossilshells,notingtheir sediments of Sorde-l’Abbaye and Nousse, six leagues S of
effervescence in vinegar and the scars left by the adductor Dax,thatcontainspiralfossilsintheformofsmall“lentils[...]
muscle; from this he deduced that the fossils are similar to piercedwithsmallholes”(i.e.,Nummulites).Although“these
currentmarineshells.Convincedoftheorganicorigin,Boynet bodiesaretotallyunknown”tohim,helikensthemto“marine
hesitatesbetweentransportbytheFloodanddepositionbythe bodies” because they are associated with other shells,
sea, which was difficult to imagine given the altitude of the including a sea urchin. In 1767, Borda d’Oro investigated
area. Lastly, he suggests that for some (admittedly obscure) fortheAcademythe(Eocene)fossilsofMontfort-en-Chalosse,
reason,themenofantiquitycouldhavetransportedtheoysters four leagues E of Dax. In this memoir (A5.2), he describes
to their present position. This extravagant thesis reflects Lithophaga(«dails»)in “alayer ofwhite andchalky stone”.
Boynet’sfrustrationwiththeincomprehensible.Montesquieu, Jean-Étienne Guettard of the French Académie des Sciences
whopresidedoverthesession,expressedapparentsatisfaction: hadalreadydescribedLithophagaandMadreporafoundnear
“Whenonecannotbesureofthetruth,”hedeclared,“itisgood DaxandsenttohimbyBordad’Oro(Guettard,1759,p.330–
to have something that resembles it” (Appendix A3.4). 339þpl. I, Fig. 3–6 therein; see Coste, 1908). Borda d’Oro
Father Jules Bellet continued to send to the Academy pointsupthatsuchmarinefossilscannothavebeentransported
handwritten chronicles proudly entitled Voyages littéraires. bytheFlood,whichreinforceshisconvictionofamarineorigin.
Thatof1736,devoted totheregion ofSainte-Foy-la-Grande, Inthemiddleofthe18thcentury,theAcademyofBordeaux
reportsthat“intheparishofFleix,onthehillsideofNogarède, launched two essay competitions (see Courteault, 1909): the
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G.Godard: BSGF2018, 189,8
first, in 1743, on the “Origin and formation of figured stones ment de la nature», ascribes the origin of fossils to
which, internally as well as externally, have a regular and spontaneous generation from the rock mass; the second
determined figure”; the second, in 1745, on the “Figured hypothesis, that of an organic origin, clashes with the
stones”.NoneofthememoirssenttotheAcademymentionthe remoteness of the sea and therefore requires (it is believed)
fossilsofGuyenneorGascony(AppendixA6).Thepostulants transport of the shells. Pierre de L’Ancre (1622), like the
unanimously embrace the notion of an organic origin, but entourageofLouisXIII(accordingtohisreports),isundecided
remain somewhat theoretical. betweenthetwotheses.AlthoughtheauthoroftheReflections
sommaires (ca. 1650; Section 2) and contemporaries such as
4 The spirit of the Encyclopaedists Gaffarel(1629)continuetodwellonthethesisofthe“freaksof
nature”,thoseinfavourofanorganicorigingraduallybecome
Dezallier d’Argenville, one of the major contributors to themajority.Fracastoro,Alessandri,PalissyandCesalpinoin
Diderot’s Encyclopédie, briefly evokes the fossils of Sainte- the 16th century, and then Colonna, Peiresc, Vignier,
Menestrier and Gassend in the 17th century, do not doubt
Croix-du-Mont in his Enumerationis fossilium (Dezallier
d’Argenville,1751,p.53):“InaplacecalledSainteCroixdu theorganicoriginoffossils(e.g.,Rudwick,1972;Ellenberger,
1988; Godard, 2005, 2017). However, these authors do not
Mont, in front of the castle gates [i.e., between 6 and 4 in
alwaysembracetheboldhypothesisofthepresenceofthesea
Fig.2],alargeoratorywasdugintoacliffofoysters;thevault
andpillarssupportingitareconstructedofthesamematerial” inland: Bernard Palissy (1580) makes shells live in “recep-
tacles” of fresh water (cf. Ellenberger, 1988, p. 137–146;
(«inlocodictoSatte[sic]CroixduMont,exadversoportarum
Plaziat, 2011) and Pierre Gassend (1658) in underground
Castelli, facellum magnum in monticulo Ostreis composito
cavitiesfilledwithwater.Mostsupportersoftheorganicorigin
incisumest:testudo&columnae,quaeeamsustentant,eâdem
suggest the Flood transported shells from the sea. Some were
materiâ constructae sunt»).
staunch diluvianists, whereas others have been qualified as
Nicolas Desmarest, then working for the Bordeaux
“soft”or“hesitant”diluvianists(e.g.,Ellenberger,1988)because
Intendant, wrote in 1761 a travel journal of two trips from
they were convinced of the marine origin of the fossils, and
BordeauxtoPérigueuxandfromBordeauxtoAgen(Appendix
consideredtheFloodaconvenientartificeacceptedbyalloreven
A7.1)(seeTaylor,1969,1997).Inthismanuscript,Desmarest
aconcessiontotheprevailingopinionofthetime.
describes the (Cenozoic) sediments of these regions. He occ-
In the early 17th century, some proponents of the organic
asionallymentionsfossilshellsand«madrepores»,towhichhe
originhadtheaudacitytoinvokesea-levelfluctuations.Thisis
clearlygivesamarineorigin.Inparticular,hegivesdetailsonthe
silicifiedfossilsofChanceladenearAngouleme(A7.1,p.306– the case of Claude Menestrier in around 1635 to explain the
fossils of Monte Mario, near Rome, and of Peiresc, who
316), and on the shelly sediments of Saint-Émilion (A7.1,
p.112–119),withtheir“madrepores”,shells,seaurchins,etc., suggestedthatverticalgroundmovementsexhumedthefossils
andwhereheobservedcrisscrossstratification(«deslitsquine ofProvenceand submerged theamber of theBaltic (Godard,
sontpointhorizontauxmaisquifontunesuited’anglescontenus 2005). In this respect, Pierre de L’Ancre is quite innovative,
since in 1622 he envisions sea mobility operating over “long
lesunsdanslesautres»).Later,Desmarestreproducedsomeof
centuries”insteadofatransportbytheFlood(L’Ancre,1622,
these observations in his Encyclopédie méthodique (see
p. 35) (see Section 1), suggesting a dynamic evolution of the
Appendix A7.2), devoted to physical geography and geology
Earth:“weseethemountainsandtherocksgrowingeveryday,
(Desmarestetal.,anIII-1828;seeLaboulais-Lesage,2006).
The authors of the second half of the 18th century had no and the depressions fill up (with sediments) by themselves”.
With the contributions of Steno (Steensen, 1667),
doubt about the marine origin of fossils, explaining their
Woodward (1695) and Scheuchzer (1708), the thesis of an
presence in Aquitaine by some incursions of the Atlantic
organic origin prevailed at the turn of the 18th century.
Ocean.However,thesystematicstudyoftheshellysandsand
sandstones(called“faluns”)ofAquitainewouldbeginlater,in However, most of the authors still believe in a transport and
depositbytheFlood(e.g.,Gaudant,2008).Thisisalsothecase
the 1830s with the start of modern geology, and in particular
inAquitaine,whereFatherBelletandIsaacSarraudeBoynet,
with the detailed work of Jean-Pierre Sylvestre de Grateloup
secretaryoftheBordeauxAcademy,donotdoubttheorganic
(Lesport et al., 2012).
originoftheshells ofSainte-Croix-du-Mont. In1718,Sarrau
usesthescarleftbytheadductormuscleontheinnersideofthe
5 A laboratory of ideas for the progress of
shells to demonstrate this origin, an argument subsequently
geology used a few decades later by Jean-Étienne Guettard (1759) to
demonstrate the organic origin of Eocene fossils in the Paris
The above writings echo some debates and pioneering Basin. Whereas Bellet is a staunch diluvianist, Sarrau de
ideasontheoriginoffossils,thesuperpositioningofstrataand Boynet resorts to an improbable anthropogenic origin.
the geological ages, which we present in this section. Inthecourseofthe18thcentury,theFloodhypothesiswas
progressively dismissed. In 1767, Jacques François Borda
5.1 The origin of fossils: transport by the Flood, freak d’Oro fully supported the deposition by the sea of (Eocene)
of nature or mobility of the seas? fossiliferous sediments near Dax in Gascony, after having
observed traces of Lithophaga, incompatible with a transport
In the 16th and 17th centuries, there were two main bytheFlood.In1761,NicolasDesmarestdidnotdoubtofthe
opposingthesesfortheoriginoffossils(e.g.,Rudwick,1972; marine origin of the Aquitaine fossils, which he observed
Ellenberger,1988).Thethesisofthe“freakofnature”orlusus notably around Saint-Émilion (Appendix A7.1), describing
naturae,whichPierredeL’Ancrebeautifullynames«esbate- them as “marine organisms” («corps marins»). Later, in his
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G.Godard: BSGF2018, 189,8
Encyclopédie méthodique, he dismissed any geological second,asmanyweredisposedtothinkthatgeologicalagents
implication of the biblical Flood (Desmarest et al., an III- might in the past have acted with high intensities rather than
1828, vol. 3, article “Déluge”, p. 606–615). The concept of slowrates.Thehistoriansofgeologyusuallydistinguishsuch
marine transgression will eventually replace the Flood at the anactualisticapproachfromuniformitarianisminastrictsense
birth of modern geology in the early 19th century. (e.g., Hooykaas, 1963; Rudwick, 1972, chap. 4). Were
Barrère’s ideas truly uniformitarian or simply actualistic?
Heclaimed inhis1745manuscript thatthegeological agents
5.2 Principle of superposition operateduringlongspansoftime(«pendantunelonguesuite
de siècles», p. 6; see A6.1 [iv]). However, like Pierre de
IndescribingtherocksandfossilsshowntoLouisXIIIat L’Ancre some 120 years before, he did not amplify these
Loubens(Section1),PierredeL’Ancre(1622)usestheword
interestingideas;hejustaddressedthemallusivelyinhis1746
«estage»(i.e.,stage),wellbeforeitcametobeusedbyAlcide
book(Barrère, 1746), which Buffon nevertheless praised and
d’Orbigny (1840–1867) to designate a chronostratigraphic quoted (Buffon, 1749, p. 596–599).
division. Pierre de L’Ancre enumerates these stages from
bottom to top, whereas Louis XIII and his entourage walked
throughthemfromtoptobottom,suggestingthatdeL’Ancre 6 Conclusions
grasped the principle of superposition and the chronological
sequencing of the layers even before Nicolas Steno formally The 17th and 18th century memoirs on the fossils of
statedthemin1669(Steensen,1669).Unfortunately,Pierrede Guyenne and Gascony (Aquitaine Basin, France), especially
L’Ancre did not develop these basic concepts of modern thoseofSainte-Croix-du-Mont,echothedebatesofthetimeon
stratigraphy,preferringtosatisfyhisnauseousobsessionwith the origin of “figured stones”–what we call fossils. The
witchcraft and witches. authors were undecided between an organic origin with
transportoftheshellsbythebiblicalFloodandanin-situorigin
resulting from an «esbatement de la nature» (a freak of
5.3 Chronology and principle of uniformity nature). However, a few authors endorsed original ideas and
novel concepts. The most remarkable author is Pierre de
Many 17th and 18th century scholars adopted a short L’Ancre,whosetext(L’Ancre,1622),althoughmarredbyhis
chronologyconstrainedbytheirbeliefintheFlood.Thiswas
untimely digressions, envisages that seas are mobile and that
alsothecaseinAquitaine.In1718,FatherBelletcoveredthe sediment consolidation took place over “lengthy ages” after
margins of his manuscript on Sainte-Croix-du-Mont with
sea withdrawal; he also describes the superimposition of
calculations on the biblical chronology. Sarrau de Boynet layers,whichhecalls“stages”(«estages»),suggestingthathe
attributes the same deposit to the “most remote antiquity”,
grasped the principle of superposition even before Steno
having dismissed the Flood in favour of an anthropogenic
(Steensen,1669).In1718,IsaacSarraudeBoynet,secretaryof
origin. The boldest thesis is once again that of Pierre de
the Bordeaux Academy, demonstrated the organic origin of
L’Ancre(1622,p.35,39),whoenvisionsthein-situdeposition
fossiloystershellsonthebasisofthescarleftbytheadductor
ofmarinesedimentsconsolidatedoverprolongedagesafterthe muscle. In 1767, Borda d’Oro agreed with the deposition by
retreatofthesea.Thefactthathedoesnotrelystubbornlyon
theseaoffossilsfromtheDaxregioninGasconyafterhaving
the Bible is unexpected for a judge who condemned many
observed traces of Lithophaga. In 1761, Nicolas Desmarest
people to the stake for heresy and witchcraft.
was also convinced of the marine origin of the fossils of
Amongthecontributionstotheessaycontestsof1743and
northern Aquitaine.
1745attheBordeauxAcademy,fourcanbeattributedtoPierre
These writings on Aquitaine show us that the history of
Barrère, since theycontain elements published by this author
geologyismoreprofusethanitmightbethought.Besideswell-
(Barrère, 1746) (see details in Appendix A6.1). The first and
known persons, like Palissy, Steno, Woodward, Buffon,
fourth memoirs are two versions of the same unpublished
Hutton, Lyell and others, there were a number of humble
manuscript, written in 1743 and revised in 1745. Barrère
scholars, whose contributions remained unpublished and
develops a cyclical evolution of the Earth, which prefigures
unknown. After having languished in the shadows for
Hutton’sideas:theseasarefilledwithsedimentsandbecome
centuries, their writings, which have been brought to light
mountainsundertheeffectofearthquakesandvolcanism,and
by the modern means of digitization, cataloguing and
mountains are in turn eroded and then invaded by seas.
diffusion, can now be considered. This appears strikingly
Moreover, in the 1745 version the author introduces several
forAquitaine.Veryfewbooksweredevotedtothegeologyof
formulations of actualism (p. 6, 17, 18; see A6.1 [iv]): e.g., theAquitaineBasinbeforethe19thcentury:onecanonlycitea
“Thecausehavingactedinpastages,asitactsinthepresent,
fewlinesontheSaintongebyBernardPalissy(1580),memoirs
andasitwillactinfuture,theeffectmusthavebeeninthepast
on mines (Puy, 1601; Gobet, 1779), some indications by
as it will be in the future” (p. 17). Dezallierd’Argenville(1751)andNicolasDesmarest’sstudies
The principle of uniformity is attributed to Lyell (1830–
(Desmarestetal.,anIII-1828)...Ontheotherhand,thereisa
1833), who had nevertheless been preceded by several
profusionofmanuscripts(seeAppendix),whichgiveusanew
pioneers, including Steno (Steensen, 1669), Buffon (1749),
vision of this history.
Desmarest, Hutton... Uniformitarian thinking involves two
distinguishableelements:(a)thegeologicalagentsoperatingin Acknowledgements. The author sincerely thanks Jean-Claude
thepast werethesameasat present, and(b)theyoperated at Piaziat and Kenneth L. Taylor for their constructive reviews,
slowratesduringlongspansoftime.Earlygeologistsaccepted Arabella Palladino for the revision of the English style, and
the first element far more readily than they agreed to the Catherine Crônier for her editorial handling.
Page8 of12
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