Museum of the Roman Docks, Archaeological museum in Marseille, France
The Museum of Roman Docks exhibits objects from ancient maritime trade and the remains of Roman commercial warehouses discovered during excavations in central Marseille. The displays show how the ancient port operated and what goods were handled there.
The museum was founded in 1963 following excavations that began during the rebuilding of neighborhoods destroyed in World War II. These discoveries revealed rare Roman warehouses that provide evidence of how the ancient port operated.
The dolia were sunk into the ground up to their necks and sealed with lids of the same material, their interiors coated with resin. This kept them insulated from temperature swings, which helped preserve the wine. The jars could reach 1.70 m in height and hold 1,800 to 2,000 litres.
The museum entrance is at 28 place Vivaux in Marseille's 2nd arrondissement, a short walk from the Vieux-Port quays. The excavated docks and dolia are displayed in situ, with metal railings along the edges of the sunken area and display panels on a mezzanine level behind the rear railing. Visitors look down into the stone and brick remains from these walkways.
Among the exhibits is a polychrome mosaic of the 3rd century showing a bather, found in the rue des Fabre; it may have belonged to Roman baths near the port. A model reconstructs the ancient shoreline with its docks, and a potter's kiln model from the Butte des Carmes shows how amphorae were fired.
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