About the SAP

Société d’Anthropologie de Paris

The Société d’Anthropologie de Paris was founded on May 19, 1859, by Paul Broca and 19 other scientific figures. Its influence grew rapidly alongside its membership; it was recognized as a public utility on July 21, 1864. Its headquarters are located at the Musée de l’Homme in Paris.

Its founder, Paul Broca (1824–1880), remained its secretary general until his death. He is one of the fathers of anthropology in its “modern” sense—that is, in his own words, focusing on “the study of the human group as a whole, in its details, and in its relationship with the rest of nature.”

Our anthropology society is the oldest in the world to bear this name, which signifies that the human being is at the heart of its concerns. While it initially brought together disciplines that have since gained their own autonomy (prehistory, ethnography, forensic medicine, demography, sociology, etc.), it now focuses exclusively on biological anthropology while maintaining its central position at the crossroads of other sciences. Its specificity lies in placing the biological dimension of humans at the core of its approach, which is, above all, an interdisciplinary one. Throughout its existence, it has also—and this is proof of its vitality—embraced new approaches (molecular biology, genetics and paleogenetics, 3D imaging, funerary archaeology, auxology, nutrition, etc.).