Le dernier voyage de Michel de Montaigne ?

In the summer of 2018, an investigation carried out on a two-storey structure housed in the basement of the Musée d’Aquitaine in Bordeaux (Gironde) uncovered, in the upper chamber, a wooden coffifin bearing a metal plate engraved with “Michel de Montaigne”. Two successive phases of excavation under the direction of Hélène Réveillas, in 2019 and 2020, led to the extraction and opening of this wooden coffifin. It itself held a well-preserved lead funerary container, damaged in its lower part only and revealing anatomically logical human bones through certain orififices. A collective scientifific project was set up to attempt to identify the deceased, reveal the funerary treatment applied and discuss the exact fate of the body of a great philosopher. This research also aimed to better understand the cultural and economic landscape of Bordeaux from the second half of the 16th century to the end of the 19th century. An interdisciplinary team of some twenty people was assembled, bringing together specialists in archaeoanthropology, building archaeology, archaeogenetics, archaeobotany, history and more. Despite all the analysis and research carried out, it has not been possible to determine the identity of the deceased uncovered in the lead sarcophagus. However, several concordant clues suggest that there is a fairly high probability that these bone remains are indeed those of the philosopher, in terms of both biological and funerary fifindings. Presented as part of a symposium in Bordeaux on 8 November 2022, the many new results (sarcophagus construction method, embalming, facial reconstruction, etc.) now appear fundamental to the study of the funerals of wealthy families of the modern period in northern Aquitaine.