Musee d'Histoire de Marseille, Marseille

Musee d'Histoire de Marseille, Marseille

The Musée d'Histoire de Marseille or Marseille History Museum is dedicated to the local history of the city.

The Musée d'Histoire de Marseille or Marseille History Museum is dedicated to the local history of the city. Built on the site of the 1967 Center Bourse excavation that led to the discovery of ancient artifacts, the museum showcases these findings and more objects that trace the development of Marseille since prehistoric settlements in the basin. The museum has a sprawling building along with an outdoor Jardin des Vestiges which contains archaeological ruins of classical ramparts, port buildings, a necropolis and other large exhibits. It presents a rich collection of chronologically arranged archaeological finds from different eras-

• Gyptis and Prôtis (600 to 380 BC) – showcases finds from the early Ionian settlement that brought the Greek civilization. On display are Corinthian ceramics, Laconian ceramics, Etruscan wine amphoras, wrecks of Greek ships, and ruins of temples dedicated to Greek gods Artemis, Apollo, and Athena.
• The World of Pythéas (380 to 49 BC) – has finds from the prosperous era such as silver and bronze coins, wine and oil amphoras, tools from the Oppidum de la Teste-Negre and Oppidum de la Cloche, bronze helmet, jewels and ceramic lamp from the Oppidum du Baou-Roux, vases from Oppidum du Baou de Saint-Marcel, and sculptures from Oppidum de Roquepertuse.
• From Massalia to Massilia (49 BC to 309 AD) – traces the period after the conquest of Julius Caesar, through wrecks from Place Jules-Verne, and tombs and sarcophagi from funerary sites around the city.
• From the Ancient City to Medieval (309 to 948 AD) – explores the Paleochristian era through religious artifacts, items associated with the trans-Mediterranean trade from the Iberian Peninsula to the Middle East, and few objects from the Early Middle Ages.
• Marseilles Middle Ages (948 to 1481) – presents various everyday objects, ruins of churches, paintings and sculpture from the time of the Viscounts and Angevins.
• Marseille became French (1481 to 1596) and The Age of Louis XIV (from 1596 to 1725) – explore the time when the city flourished till the Plague of 1720.
• Lights in the Revolution (1725 to 1794) – traces the era of maritime trade with the Caribbean, Mediterranean, India, and the Far East.
• 19th Century Marseille – focusses on the development of the tobacco, soap, sugar, and printing industry.
• Marseille, South Gate (1905 to 1945) – presents the destruction of the city during World War II.
• Marseille, singular and plural city (1945 to the present) – traces the development of the city in modern times.

Admission is €5.00 for adults, and €3.00 for students 18 - 26 years as well as senior citizen over 65 years. Entry is free for children under the age of 18. Admission is free for all on Sunday mornings till 1 pm.