Museum of Roman Docks

Musée des Docks Romains

The Museum of Roman Docks represents the remains of one of the rare Roman commercial warehouses known in the world.

They were discovered in 1947, during the reconstruction of the old quarters destroyed by the German occupiers. Through the intervention of Fernand Benoit, historian and renowned archaeologist, a part of these relics could be kept on-site. Opened in 1963 and renovated in 1987, the Museum presents 30 dolia or large jars of Roman times. Inside of the Park of the dolia, you can find walls and wells of the medieval houses.

The dolia are large ceramic containers, used in Roman times, primarily in the agricultural field. They were used to store wine or oil. They were often present in wine-growing farms of the time next to the presses. These dolia could reach 1.70 m in height and diameter of 1.60 m with a volume of 1,800 to 2,000 litres. They were driven into the ground to pass and were closed by a cover of same nature and internally coated resin. They were thus immune to variations in temperature, which was a benefit for the conservation of the wine.

The Windows arranged along the walls trace the history of maritime trade through the objects from underwater excavations on 20 shipwrecks found in the harbour of Marseilles.