Musée d’Archéologie Méditerranéenne, Archaeological museum in 2nd arrondissement, Marseille, France
The Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne displays artifacts from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and other Mediterranean civilizations housed in a historic waterfront building in Marseille. The collection includes pottery, sculptures, jewelry, and coins spanning different periods and regions.
The museum was established in the 1980s and now holds France's second-largest collection of Egyptian antiquities after the Louvre. It also includes significant artifacts from ancient Greek, island, and Celtic-Ligurian Mediterranean periods.
The exhibits show everyday objects and religious items that reveal how ancient Mediterranean peoples connected through trade and shared artistic traditions. You can see how people decorated their homes and which gods mattered most to them.
The museum sits within the Vieille Charité, a complex with multiple courtyards and galleries that is easy to explore on foot. The indoor spaces are air-conditioned, making visits comfortable even during hot weather.
The building itself, the Vieille Charité, was originally a poorhouse from the 17th century and later transformed into a cultural center. This history makes the site more than just a museum—it reflects Marseille's urban transformation over centuries.
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