Théodore Ber

Théodore Ber (7 March 1820 – 21 November 1900), was a French archaeologist and anthropologist who spent most of his adult life in Peru. Although an amateur, his work was appreciated by some scholars and officially recognized by the French government.

Early life and move to Peru Théodore Ber was born in Figeac in a family of tailors. He was sent to Bordeaux to learn the trade as an apprentice to his uncle, also a tailor. A talented young man, he was hired by an atelier in Paris, and later established his own company for exporting clothing to South America. Ber had no formal schooling but learned about world politics by reading socialist newspapers and books. After a stormy divorce, he moved to Chile in 1860 and Peru in 1863, where, notwithstanding his lack of education, he found employment as professor of French language and history. Thanks to Broca, Ber also became a member of the Society of Anthropology of Paris.

In 2014, the Champollion Museum in his native Figeac consecrated an exhibition to his explorations, 40 ans dans les andes: L'itinéraire oublié de Théodore Ber (1820-1900), and published an illustrated catalog.

Selected publications "Les populations préhistoriques d'Ancón," Revue d'Anthropologie, 1875, 54-62. "Note sur les Indiens du Pérou"," Compte rendu du Congrès international des américanistes, 1875, 449-462. "Le rio Casa (Pérou)," Bulletin de la Société de Géographie, 1878, 181-184 "Recherches ethnographiques sur la Bolivie et l'ancien Pérou," Congrès international des sciences ethnographiques, 1881, 688-697. "Tiahuanaco," Bulletin de la Société de Géographie, 1882, 577-592.