Louis Colas was a French archaeologist who, at the beginning of the twentieth century, travelled throughout the French Basque region on foot, bicycle and mule studying, measuring and drawing funerary memorials and other artefacts of historical interest. His main focus was on gravemarkers, especially the characteristic Basque discoid stelae which abound in south-western France. He emphasised the importance of inscriptions and iconography and their place in Basque culture.

The outcome of his work was a large publication in two volumes, one of which includes his drawings, together with a few photographs. The original limited edition volumes have become rare. This is a facsimile of volume 2, the Atlas, with 1300 illustrations, together with some introductory sections and translations. By making Colas’s work more accessible, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in funerary memorials or inscriptional lettering.

CONTENTS
Louis Colas and the book
Bibliography
Basque gravestones
Basque lettering
The gravestones today
Translations and facsimile
Note
Introduction to Labourd
Introduction to Basse-Navarre
Introduction to Soule
Facsimile

ISBN 978 0 9540891 4 6
paperback  A4  428 pages (a few in colour)
£35
p&p
UK £5
USA and Canada £10 surface mail £18 airmail