Musée d'Histoire, de Préhistoire et d'Archéologie sous marine de Saint-Raphaël, Archaeological museum in Saint-Raphaël, France
The Museum of History, Prehistory, and Underwater Archaeology sits in Saint-Raphaël and displays finds from different periods of this region's past. The collections range from early human traces to objects from ancient ships that rested on the seafloor.
The museum opened in 1968 and uses a medieval church building that includes a crypt and fortified tower. These structures once served as part of coastal defense during earlier centuries.
The museum displays objects from sunken Roman ships, showing how people along this coast lived from the sea across many centuries. The collection tells stories of ancient trade routes and daily life for those who worked with the Mediterranean.
Plan to spend time moving through the different areas of the collection, as exhibits are spread across multiple levels within the building. The museum offers QR codes for self-guided exploration if you want to learn more details about specific objects.
From the medieval watchtower, you can look out toward the Mediterranean coast and see the same view that guards once had. This vantage point shows you why this location needed to be defended for so long.
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