Ernest Babelon

Born in Sarrey, France, in 1854, Ernest Babelon became one of his country’s best-known experts on ancient coins, engraved gems, and classical antiquity. He studied at the École des Chartes and went on to build a career that linked scholarship, museums, and publishing.

Babelon worked at the Bibliothèque nationale, where he was closely associated with the Cabinet des Médailles, and he also taught as a classical archaeologist. He wrote important reference works on Greek and Roman coinage and on engraved gems, helping organize and explain material that collectors, historians, and researchers still consult.

He died in Paris in 1924. Remembered for combining careful cataloging with broad historical knowledge, he stands out as a scholar who made the ancient world easier to study through both his research and his public-facing institutional work.