The musée départemental Arles antique
Practical information
HOURS
Daily from 10:00 to 18:00, except Tuesday
Closed: 1 January, 1 May, 1 November and 25 December
ADMISSION
Regular admission : 8€ / Reduced admission : 5€
GUIDED VISITS : 2€ in addition to price of admission
For individuals: every Sunday at 15:00
During school vacations (for all zones): daily at 15:00,
except Tuesdays.
HORTUS (A Roman inspired garden)
The garden is open to the public daily, EXCEPT TUESDAYS
(free admission/access independent of the museum).
Closed: 1 January, 1 May, 1 November and 25 December
From 1 April to 30 September: 10:00 to 19:00
From 1 October to 31 March: 10:00 to 17:30
“Games Kit” on loan at museum reception; ID required (individuals only).
GETTING HERE
Navia A, the free shuttle from downtown. Daily, except Sundays
and holidays. Stops every 30 minutes in front of the museum.
www.tout-envia.com
Bicycle rack available in the parking lot.
GPS coordinates for “avenue Jean Monnet”
Latitude: 43.6738649 - Longitude: 4.61817880000001
Taco & Co, Arlésien bike-taxi service
06 50 29 60 00 / www.tacoandco.fr
Programme of activities available at museum reception,
the Office of Tourism and at www.arles-antique.cg13.fr
Photography and video permitted without tripods in the permanent collections.
A museum dedicated to the promotion of archaeological research
teadily accumulated over time, archaeological collections have been part
of the Arlésien identity since the sixteenth century.
In 1983, architect Henri Ciriani was chosen for the project of a new museum
to assemble together the collections that had until then been dispersed in
three unsuitable sites.
His triangular building, with clean lines, proposed with joy the poetics of colour: blue for the façade, as the sky remains the only thing intangible since
Antiquity; white, the colour of the mind, for the research areas; red, the colour of action, for the laboratories.
S
Here, visitors can perceive, through objects magnificent or modest, the evolution of the city and its surroundings. Careful scenography, classification
blending chronology and thematic, models and maps, all strive to make the
ancient evidence of the city, from prehistory to late Antiquity, accessible to
all.
Originally a municipal museum, the tutelage of the General Council 13 in
2003, gave new life to the institution: equipped with an auditorium, and later
a Roman inspired garden, Hortus, the museum began pursuing an ambitious
strategy of major exhibitions, cutting edge research and public education,
rapidly earning national and international recognition.
In 2012, a new phase was initiated with the presentation of the major discoveries made by underwater archaeologists in the Rhône over the past twenty
years: the exquisite portrait attributed to Caesar, the statues of marble or
gilded bronze, have become the most striking pieces.
GENERAL COUNCIL OF BOUCHES - DU - RHÔNE
Department of Culture - WWW. CULTURE -13. FR
Hôtel du département, 13004 MARSEILLE
cg13.fr
M USÉE DÉPARTEMENTAL A RLES ANTIQUE
P RESQU ’ ÎLE - DU -C IRQUE - ROMAIN
BP 205 - 13635 A RLES CEDEX
Tél. 04 13 31 51 03 – Fax. 04 13 31 51 37
www.arles-antique.cg13.fr
But the influence and the collections of the museum have not ceased to
grow; a new wing was added in 2013 to highlight the vital importance of the
port of Arles during Antiquity and the intensity of the trade between the
Rhône delta and the shores of the Mediterranean. Arles-Rhône 3, an intact
barge dating from the decade 50-60 AD, is the emblematic centrepiece.
Bust presumed to be Julius Caesar
© Rémi Bénali-CG13
Aerial photo © Rémi Bénali-CG13
Fine ware ceramics
© Rémi Bénali
Monumental head of Augustus
© Maby J-L., L. Roux
Victoria in bronze
© Maby J-L., L. Roux
Captive in bronze © Rémi Bénali
Neptune © Rémi Bénali
Sarcophagus of the spouses
© M. Lacanaud
Alter to Apollo © M. Lacanaud
:: WELCOME TO THE MUSÉE DÉPARTEMENTAL ARLES ANTIQUE ::
cg13.fr
C
H R O N O L O G I C A L
R E F E R E N C E
- 6 000 - 1 800 - 1 200
The visit
ARLES
PREHISTORY
P O I N T S
:: C
H R O N O L O G I C A L
- 700 - 600
- 700 : Iron Age
- 600 : Founding of Marseille by the
Greeks
>- 2 500 : The hypogea of Arles
> Early 6th century BC: Founding of
a Greek economic centre in Arles
The earliest archaeological evidence from the Arles region, unfortunately rather sketchy, dates back to the Palaeolithic age and originates in the Crau Plain.
The first significant prehistoric site, discovered in the Alpilles region,
dates from the end of the Neolithic period. These are Megalithic burial
places called hypogea, which are composed of tunnels and underground funeral chambers.
The archaeological material found is characteristic of the end of the Neolithic period and the beginning of the Chalcolithic period or Copper Age
(2500 to 1800 B.C.): flint arrowheads, jewellery, ceramics and metal tools.
Protohistory
In 600 B.C., the founding of Marseille by Greeks
from Phocaea marked a significant change in Provence.
Commercial and cultural exchanges were established between the CeltoLigurians and the new arrivals, as demonstrated by the discoveries in Arles
of Greek ceramics employing red-figure and black-figure techniques.
Greeks settled in the indigenous city, which was created at the beginning
of the 6th century B.C. As evidence, a district made up of streets and
dwellings laid out in a formal manner, was discovered under the Lices carpark, “site of the winter garden”. It was abandoned at the beginning of
the 2nd century B.C.
The Roman city
The city l Romanisation l Society l The army
The walls l Triumphal arches
In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar settled the veterans of the 6th legion in Arles
as thanks for its help in his struggle against Marseille, Pompeii's ally.
Arelate, "the settlement near the swamp" was raised to the rank of
colony.
Construction work really began under Augustus: a city in the image
of Rome began to develop. A general model of the city presents the
urban area in the 4th century. The urban planning of the Augustan period is apparent (the city walls, the triumphal arches, the cardo, the
main east-west street (decumanus), the forum, the theatre), from the
Flavian period (the amphitheatre), from the Antonine period (the circus, the 'bridge of boats'), and from the Constantinian period (the public baths). The presumed portrait of Julius Caesar, the Clipeus
Virtutis, Augustus' votive shield, the imperial portraits, the steles of the
municipal judges, priests and soldiers, as well as the large bronzes
discovered in the Rhône (Victoria and Captive) all bear witness to the
extent and speed of the Romanisation of the local authority and the
social organisation of the city.
The forum
The forum of Arles, a political, economic and religious centre, was built by Augustus around 20 B.C.
and then expanded under Tiberius in the 1st century. A final
part was added during the Constantinian period in the 4th
century.
The particularity of this forum, located in the heart of the city, is that it
rests on the hillside, on foundations called cryptoportici. These foundations are semi-subterranean on the south side and exposed on the north,
enabling the construction of a flat place. These double galleries with decorative finishes can still be seen, as can several architectural elements
of the forum’s decorations (columns, capitals…).
A portico with a series of columns enclosed this rectangular area of approximately 3,000 square meters.
P O I N T S
:: C
H R O N O L O G I C A L
- 58
R E F E R E N C E
- 27
PROTOHISTORY
-6 000 : Neolithic
-1 800 : Copper Age
-1 200 : Bronze Age
Prehistory
R E F E R E N C E
P O I N T S
:: C
H R O N O L O G I C A L
69
R E F E R E N C E
P O I N T S
:: C
H R O N O L O G I C A L
98
313
- 27 : Augustus establishes the
Empire
69 : Flavian Dynasty
98 : Antonine Dynasty
313 : Constantine authorises
the Christian religion
> - 46 : Arles, Roman colony
- 12/10 : Construction of the forum and the theatre
The theatre
Built at the end of the 1st century B.C. under Emperor
Augustus, the theatre of Arles, designed to hold up to
10,000 spectators, is part of the original urban planning of the city.
Stairs, lateral tunnels and vomitoria led to the stepped rows of seats. The
musicians took their places in the orchestra separated from the stage by
a curtain and its mechanism. The stage wall was richly decorated with columns and niches housing statues.
Among the elements that have been discovered are the swan altar, the monumental statue of Augustus, the portrait of Aphrodite, the Sileni and the
dancers. The theatre then served as a stone quarry from the end of Antiquity.
The circus
It was 450 meters long and 101 meters wide with
seating capacity for 20,000 spectators.
Due to the swampy ground, the circus rested on 28,000 oak and pine pilings, of which laboratory analysis has enabled determination of the cutting
date, 148 to 149 A.D., under the reign of the Emperor Antoninus.
Chariot races (evoked here by three low-reliefs) took place on a wide
track, separated into two parts by a wall (the spina) decorated with
sculptures, with an obelisk that currently adorns the "Place de la République" opposite City Hall.
90 : Construction of the amphitheatre
149/150 : Construction of the circus
In the Camargue and the Crau extensive animal husbandry was practiced, as indicated by the vestiges of sheepfolds; olive trees, grapevines
and wheat were cultivated on large agricultural estates.
Barbegal's hydraulic mill could process substantial quantities of wheat
and produce up to 4.5 tons of flour per day. Water was conveyed to the
mill as well as Arles via aqueducts.
R E F E R E N
476
> 313 :
Establishment
of a mint
392 : Theodosius prohibits
pagan religions
Early 4th century :
Construction of
the Thermes de
Constantin
476 : Fall of the Western
Roman Empire
407 : Transfer of
the Prefecture
from the Gauls'
Praetorium
536 : Frankish
Provence
Gods and heroes
The port and its professions l Commerce l
Navigation l The barge Arles-Rhône 3
Arles, a Roman colony, adopted the religion of the
Empire.
The port of Arles was the source of the city’s wealth.
As a point of “intermediate reloading”, it was a true transport hub between the major maritime commerce of the Mediterranean and the river
traffic opening the city to Northern Europe. This situation encouraged very rapid economic development in
the first and second centuries AD, under the control
of a powerful administration and due to the many
corporations of boat operators and stevedores.
The research conducted in the Rhône has produced close to twenty wrecks, which confirm
the extreme diversity of this particular nautical area. Found among them was the exceptional barge, 31 metres in length
named “Arles-Rhône 3”, presented
since October 2013 in an extension of
the museum especially constructed
and adapted for the occasion. Dating between 50 and 60 AD, this
complete shipwreck with its
cargo and its galley gear
constitutes an ensemble
unique in the world.
It included an exterior wall comprised of two
levels of arcades and stepped rows of seats
accommodating 20,000 spectators who were protected from the sun by a velum (canvas pulled taut). Gladiator combat (represented on several ceramics and
notably by a rare bronze featuring a secutor) as
well as animal hunts took place in the arena covered by sand. In the 8th century, it became a
veritable fortress with the construction of defence towers, giving the Arles amphitheatre
its distinctive physiognomy.
From the Middle Ages to the nineteenth
century, a true village with its own
church and public places was established there.
Industry l Animal husbandry l Channels of communication l Water
H R O N O L O G I C A L
The port and its commerce
The amphitheatre was built when the city was
expanding at the end of the 1st century.
Placed at the heart of a land-based communications network (Via
Aurelia, Domitia, Agrippa), complementing its port, the city of
Arles was at the very centre of an exchange and redistribution
system.
:: C
LATE ANTIQUITY
Amphitheatre
The economy of the Arles region
P O I N T S
392
HIGH-EMPIRE
- 58 : Beginning of Caesar’s
conquest of Gaul
R E F E R E N C E
Mythology and the diversity of religions (public religion of the
great gods of the pantheon, imperial religion and private or familial
religion) are represented through the altars, steles and sculptures
of divinities such as Minerva, Medea or the bronze faun.
The spread of eastern religions to Arles was favoured by the cosmopolitan character of its port. Numerous religions were present,
as evidenced by the altar of the goddess Cybele (native of Phrygia), the
stele by Pausanias of Isis or even the representation of Mithras (native
of Persia).
Mosaics
The museum possesses a vast collection
of mosaics the majority of which come
from the Trinquetaille district on the right
bank of the Rhone where several luxurious Roman villas stood. They provide
us with an overview of two mosaic techniques.
The opus tessellatum technique uses tesserae (small cubes of carved
stone, approximately one centimetre on each side). One example
adorned the triclinium (dining room) of one of the houses. Its decoration represents the god "Aiôn" holding the Zodiac wheel surrounded
by Nereids (sea nymphs), sea animals and the four seasons. Dionysus
in procession welcomes the guests, while the surrounding geometric
pattern indicates the location of the seats.
The opus sectile technique, found in a house next to that of the Aiôn,
is made from marble slabs and other carved hard stone in various geometrical shapes (squares, rectangles, diamonds, hexagons, etc.).
Funeral rites
The necropolis of Arles l Funerary art
Daily life
Craftsmanship l The home l Health l
Ornamentation
A series of display cases evokes the living standards of the Romans based on everyday objects
found in archaeological excavations such as keys,
dice, small bones, needles, etc.
Two display cases are devoted to tableware. These items could
be made of clay (vases, cups, varnished and decorated bowls), silver, bronze (saucepans, frying-pans, flat dishes), or glass (bottles,
goblets, flasks…).
A display case placed under the auspices of Asclepius, the god of medicine, illustrates the health issues of our ancestors, while another display
case presents a few of the ornaments with which beautiful Roman women
adorned themselves.
The display case with cinerary urns of ceramic, glass, lead and stone presents the rite of
cremation, the most widespread practice until the 1st century.
Burial, which began to be prevalent at the beginning of the 2nd century,
was gradually to become the exclusive method varying according to the
social status of the deceased person: from simple earth for the poorest
people, to stone sarcophagi for the wealthiest.
The path lined with numerous sarcophagi, evokes the staging of the
tombs by the Minim friars in the 18th century in the Alyscamps necropolis. Initially pagan, the necropolis became a high place of Christian
spirituality focused on the tomb of the martyr Genesius.
This extraordinary collection of pagan and Christian sarcophagi
reflects the prosperity of Arlésien society from the 2nd to the 5th
centuries. On the wall steles, funerary inscriptions and fragments of sarcophagi are evidence of these ancient beliefs.
Late Antiquity
At the end of the 4th century, Arles became an important political and religious
centre.
Administrative and political power was transferred
from Trèves to Arles. A basilica was built against the
southeast rampart, and later (in the 5th century) in the
city centre.
In the 6th century, the Christian city extended its influence over all of Gaul, thanks to Bishop Caesarius
of Arles. With his death, ancient Arles came to an end
and ceded its place to the Frankish royalty in 536.