BOISSIER, MARIE-LOUIS-GASTON. - French historian, born at Nîmes on 15 August 1823 and died at Viroflay on 10 June 1908. A keen investigator of classical antiquity, he left erudite works which, though not rich in novelty, are notable for their vivacity, elegance and balance, qualities which erudition never succeeds in weighing down.
Among his many historical-literary studies, particularly well known are the lively and clear portraits of Cicéron et ses amis (1865), Horace et Virgile (1866), Tacite (1903), La conjuration de Catilina (1905), while among those of a historical-religious nature, the fine volumes on La religion romaine d'Auguste aux Antonins (1874) and La fin du paganisme (1891) cannot be forgotten. To archaeology he devoted, among other works, the Promenades archéologiques and the Nouvelles promenades archéologiques, as well as the solid volume on L'Afrique romaine (1895). Also noteworthy for psychological penetration are the essays on Madame de Sévigné (1887) and Saint-Simon (1892).