Marseille, the oldest city in France was founded under its ancient name Massalia around 600 BC by Greek colonists from Phocaea, one of the northernmost Ionian cities, located in present-day Turkey. Its large and strategically located port played a significant role in antiquity and continues to do so today, serving as a vital gateway for trade and transportation between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. It served as a hub for colonial activities, particularly for missions abroad, such as expeditions to Egypt, which have been financed by the state and private benefactors since the 19th century. Before the advent of air travel, Marseille was the departure point for private journeys to the ‘Land of the Pharaohs’ via Alexandria, and served as a storage site for antiquities in transit to state museums and private collections.
The first museum
In 1802, the city set up a museum housing various archaeological finds, including Nebmesu’s polychrome stone stela (dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty) from Abydos, and a Middle Kingdom naos in red granite from Lower Egypt, both acquired as gifts from Bernardino Drovetti, Consul General for France in Egypt. The museum was housed in the city centre in the Bernardines’ convent, which had been expropriated from the Church during the French Revolution.
Borély Castle
In 1861, Marseille acquired its own museum of pharaonic items, thanks to the legacy of Antoine Clot (1793-1868; known as Clot-Bey), who sold part of his antiquities collection for 50,000 francs after a long period spent in Egypt.
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