Dupuis, Charles François (1742-1809)
Dupuis, Charles François (1742-1809)
French author and politician who studied ancient civilization and anthropology. He was born on October 26, 1742 at Trie le-Chateau and was tutored by his father until he was able to enter the College d'Harcourt. At age 24 he was made professor of rhetoric at Lisieux, but his inclination led him into the field of mathematics. Several of his anthropological writings had occult implications. In Origine de tous les Cultus (3 vols., 1795) he attempts to explain not only all the mysteries of antiquity, but also the origin of all religious beliefs. In his Memoire explicatif du Zodiaque chronologique et mythologique (1806) he maintains a common origin for the astronomical and religious opinions of the Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese, Persians, and Arabians.
Depuis died on September 29, 1809.