Melchisedec Jean-Baptiste Thévenot

Melchisedec Jean-Baptiste Thévenot (c. 1620 – 29 October 1692) was a French compiler and Oriental scholar, born in Paris in 1620. He was sent in 1652 on an important mission to Rome, and in 1684 he was appointed librarian of the Royal Library. He was one of the founders of the Academy of Sciences. His magnum opus is a compilation of travels and voyages, entitled an “Account of Many Curious Voyages hitherto unpublished”, etc., (2 volumes, 1672) He was renowned for his scientific achievements, as well as his profound knowledge of the Oriental tongues, and was the inventor of an air-level. He also collected many valuable books and manuscripts for the Royal Library, of which he wrote a catalogue, entitled “Bibliotheca Thevenotiana.