Musée d'Histoire de Marseille and other Marseille, France General Tips

Favorite Thing: The Musée d'Histoire de Marseille is a must visit if you want to better know how the city has evolved along the ages. It is close to the Canebière Avenue and behind the "Bourse de Commerce". I cannot remember the fee but it is low and free over 60 years old.

The ticket allows to visit not only the museum but also the "Jardin des vestiges" (all the following general tips)

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General Tips: The Greco-Roman harbor, 2,000 years ago

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Written by JLBG

on Dec 26, 2004

Favorite Thing: This small scale model, on display in the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille, represents the harbor of Marseille as it was 2,000 years ago. It has been built following what remains today and that was unearthed after 1967, when diggings were performed behind the "Bourse" in order to build a subterranean parking.

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General Tips: The Greco-Roman harbor today

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Written by JLBG

on Dec 26, 2004

Favorite Thing: Inside the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille (museum of history of Marseille), in the "Jardin des Vestiges" (Garden of remains), the wall across the picture was the main quay of the harbor and the lawn is instead of the seawater. It dates back to the Ist century AD. It began soon to silt up and at the end of the Vth century, was completely full. Check with the small scale model on the previous picture.

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General Tips: Soft water reservoir

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Written by JLBG

on Dec 26, 2004

Favorite Thing: This basin (see the small scale model on a previous picture), is close to the bottom of the harbor, and was a soft water reservoir where sailors could collect water to fill amphora with water to load on board of their ships before sailing.

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General Tips: The Jardin des Vestiges

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Written by JLBG

on Dec 26, 2004

Favorite Thing: The quays were made of material taken from previous Greek buildings. Remains of the Roman city walls can still be seen. The "Jardin des Vestiges" have been arranged as a pleasant and peaceful place where to wander, close to the busy Canebière.

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General Tips: Mur de Crinas

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Written by JLBG

on Dec 26, 2004

Favorite Thing: In the "Jardin des Vestiges", besides the city wall and the two defense towers, there are the remains of a Roman Temple and of a potter's oven from a later period (early middle ages). The wall is called "mur de Crinas" (wall of Crinas), a physician from the city to whom the building of the wall is attributed. Following Pliny, Crinas, that lived at the time of Nero, "paid 6 millions of sesterces to build the wall of his city". Actually, that must have been to repair them as they actually already existed.

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General Tips: The square tower

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Written by JLBG

on Dec 26, 2004

Favorite Thing: This is all what remains from a square tower that was part of the city wall and of the defense system of the city. It sadly exemplifies well what has been said "that Marseille was an ancient city that had little if no ancient remains" !

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General Tips: Roman sewage exhaust

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Written by JLBG

on Dec 26, 2004

Favorite Thing: This structure is what remains of a Roman sewage exhaust leading all sewage from the city … directly into the harbor. Inside, it is 70-80 cm high, which means there was a complete system of smaller sewage pipes running under the Roman city.

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General Tips: Roman highway

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Written by JLBG

on Dec 26, 2004

Favorite Thing: The ancient paved road of the Greek city is between two towers. It passed under the "Porte d'Italie", the main entrance into the city. The wheels of carts have for so long run on these pavements that they have carved their way and that two ruts are clearly visible.

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General Tips: Restauration and restoration

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Written by JLBG

on Dec 26, 2004