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Musee Archeologique Marin Review

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Musée Archéologique Marin

Address: Rue des Templiers, St-Raphaël
Phone: 04-94-19-25-75

Marine Archaeology Museum

Category: Museums/Galleries
Location: St-Raphael

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Fodor's Review:

On the same quiet square as St-Pierre, shaded by an old olive tree, the intimate little Musée Archéologique Marin (Marine Archaeology Museum) offers a quirky diversion. Its few rooms contain a concise and fascinating collection of ancient amphorae gleaned from the shoals offshore, where centuries' worth of shipwrecks have accumulated; by studying this chronological progression of jars and the accompanying sketches, you can visualize the coast as it was in its heyday as a Greek and Roman shipping center. The science of exploring these shipwrecks was relatively new when French divers began probing the depths; the underwater Leicas from the 1930s and the early scuba gear from the '50s on display are as fascinating as the spoils they helped to unearth. Upstairs, a few objects—jewelry, spearheads, pottery shards, and skulls—illustrate the Neolithic and Paleolithic eras and remind you of the dense population of Celto-Ligurians who claimed this region long before the Greeks and Phoenicians. A few of their dolmens and menhirs are still visible on the Estérel.

Cost: EUR 1.50
Open: June-Sept., Tues.-Sat. 9-noon and 3-6:30; Oct.-May, Tues.-Sat. 9-noon and 2-5:30

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