Marseille before Massalia, the oldest Neolithic unfired brick architecture in France

Coming from the Eastern Mediterranean by sea, peasant-sailors founded a new civilisation in the south of France during the 6^th millennium BC. On the Saint-Charles hill, Neolithic people built their dwellings of unfired bricks or modelled earth blocks. This discovery is a major event in the architectural history of the western Mediterranean and is a first in France. Our understanding of the way of life and of the savoir-faire of these first southern peasants has been transformed; it was known that they were farmers and shepherds, but they can now be seen as planners and builders.

Remains from the antique period have also been found on the the Saint-Charles hill, which was outside the walls of the Greek town founded in 600 BC. The excavation has made it possible to investigate the hinterland of the Phocaean city and in particular cultivation techniques, for example, the first vineyards, which were to become so important for Massaliot commerce. No fewer than three successive levels of vineyards from the 4^th century BC were discovered. They are the oldest vineyards discovered in France.

The team of archaeologists first of all explored levels corresponding to the most recent periods, including the modern quarter established from 1669 after the major expansion of Marseille. While wax works, soap factories and tanneries were known in this area, a surprise was in wait for the diggers: a royal manufactory of sulphur and of saltpetre. Built towards the end of the 17^th century, it supplied the powder magazines of France with raw material for munitions. Even though it only closed its doors in 1923, it was difficult to identify the building in the field, and archaeologists were obliged to heavily lean on archival evidence to recognise the different work areas.