The Comparative Archaeology room
In 1865, in immediate response to Napoleon III's request for a "museum of Celtic and Gallo-Roman antiquities" , a report was sent to the Emperor which stressed that "the museum of Saint Germain would collect [not only] antiquities originating from the remains of successive civilizations on Gaulish soil from the most distant past until the reign of Charlemagne, [but also] all documents of foreign origin which will help in shedding light on our country's history for the period between those times".
Henri Hubert (1872-1927) was appointed assistant curator in 1910 and was given the responsibility of reorganizing the "Comparison Room". He did not limit his activities to the archaeological collections, incorporating ethnographical displays from old and prestigious collections (such as the Oceanian collection now entrusted to the musée du Quai Branly) and also from more recent acquisitions (the collections brought back from Malaysia by Jacques de Morgan and donated to the museum in 1913 for example, or the American and African collections). In Henri Hubert's opinion, the understanding of a "living" society provided by ethnography, in the same way as archaeological insights into "dead" societies, could contribute to a better global vision - both social and technological - of human cultures.
The Comparative Archaeology room was completely renovated in keeping with the vision of Henri Hubert and inaugurated in 1984 and remains permanently open to the public.
