The History of Marseille

Before Marseille: Prehistoric Shores and Early Settlements

Long before the Greeks founded Massalia, the land around present-day Marseille was already inhabited. Archaeological evidence shows that prehistoric communities lived along the Provençal coast thousands of years before written history. Caves such as the Cosquer Cave, partially submerged today due to rising sea levels, contain Paleolithic paintings dating back more than 20,000 years. These artworks depict animals such as horses, bison, and seals, suggesting that early humans were deeply connected to both land and sea.

By the Neolithic period, human settlements had become more stable. Communities practiced agriculture, fishing, and early forms of trade. The coastline offered natural harbors, while inland routes connected the Mediterranean to the Rhône Valley and beyond. This geographical position made the area attractive long before it became urbanized. When Greek sailors arrived, they did not find an empty land but a region already shaped by human activity, trade networks, and cultural exchange with Ligurian tribes.

The Greek Foundation: Massalia and the Mediterranean World

According to legend, Marseille was founded after a marriage. Greek sailors from Phocaea arrived on the Provençal coast and were welcomed by a local Ligurian king. During a ceremonial feast, the king’s daughter, Gyptis, chose one of the Greek leaders, Protis, as her husband, offering him a cup of water according to local custom. The union symbolized an alliance between Greeks and locals, and the city of Massalia was born. While the story is likely mythologized, it reflects an important truth: Marseille began as a meeting point between cultures.

Massalia quickly became a major Greek trading post in the western Mediterranean. Unlike colonies established by conquest, Massalia relied on commerce, diplomacy, and navigation. The city traded wine, olive oil, ceramics, and luxury goods, while exporting metals, grain, and other resources from inland Gaul. Its merchants ventured far, establishing secondary colonies along the coast and influencing trade routes that reached deep into Europe.

Politically, Massalia was organized as an oligarchic republic, governed by a council of elders. Culturally, it remained strongly Greek, with temples, theaters, and schools that preserved Hellenic traditions. At the same time, Massalia acted as a bridge between Greek civilization and Celtic Gaul. Greek writing, coinage, and scientific knowledge spread inland through Marseille, shaping early Gallic societies.

Under Rome: Massilia in the Imperial Order

The rise of Rome gradually transformed the Mediterranean world, and Massalia was no exception. Initially an ally of Rome, the city benefited from Roman protection against hostile tribes. However, during the Roman civil wars, Massalia sided with Pompey against Julius Caesar. This decision proved disastrous. In 49 BCE, Caesar besieged and conquered the city, stripping it of much of its political autonomy.

Despite this loss, Massilia remained an important urban center within the Roman Empire. Roman rule brought new infrastructure: roads, aqueducts, baths, and forums reshaped the city. Latin gradually replaced Greek as the dominant language, though Greek culture did not disappear overnight. Marseille became a cosmopolitan Roman port, integrated into imperial trade networks that spanned from Britain to the Near East.

Christianity arrived early in Marseille, likely through maritime connections. By the late Roman period, the city was an important Christian center, with monasteries and religious communities forming along the coast and nearby islands. As the Western Roman Empire declined, Marseille faced new challenges but also new opportunities for reinvention.

Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: Survival and Faith

The collapse of Roman authority in Western Europe did not lead to the immediate disappearance of Marseille. Instead, the city entered a long period of transformation. Successive invasions by Visigoths, Burgundians, and Franks destabilized the region, while trade networks weakened. Marseille’s population declined, and parts of the city fell into ruin.

Yet Marseille survived, largely thanks to its port and its religious institutions. Monasteries such as Saint-Victor became centers of learning, stability, and economic activity. The Abbey of Saint-Victor, founded in the 5th century, played a crucial role in preserving Christian traditions and maintaining connections with the wider Mediterranean world.

During this period, Marseille oscillated between autonomy and external control. It was nominally part of the Frankish kingdoms, but its distance from political centers allowed local elites to retain significant power. The sea remained both a lifeline and a threat, as pirate raids and regional conflicts periodically disrupted maritime activity.

Medieval Marseille: Commerce, Conflict, and Communal Identity

By the High Middle Ages, Marseille began to recover economically and demographically. The city benefited from renewed Mediterranean trade, especially with Italy, the Levant, and North Africa. Merchants, sailors, and artisans formed a dynamic urban society, while guilds regulated economic life.

Politically, medieval Marseille was marked by tension between local autonomy and external authority. The city was divided between secular rulers, including the Counts of Provence, and ecclesiastical powers such as the Bishop of Marseille. These rival authorities often clashed, leading to internal conflicts that shaped the city’s institutions.

Marseille also played a role in the Crusades. As a major port, it served as a departure point for crusaders traveling to the Holy Land. This involvement increased the city’s wealth but also exposed it to new risks, including disease and retaliation. The Crusades further intensified Marseille’s connections with the eastern Mediterranean, reinforcing its cosmopolitan character.

From Provence to France: Integration into the Kingdom

In the late Middle Ages, Marseille’s political status changed dramatically. When Provence was incorporated into the Kingdom of France in 1481, Marseille became part of a centralized monarchy. This transition was not without resistance. The city had long valued its privileges and autonomy, and integration into France threatened both.

French kings recognized Marseille’s strategic importance and invested in its fortifications and port facilities. However, royal authority also imposed new taxes and controls. The balance between local identity and national integration became a recurring theme in Marseille’s history.

The 16th and 17th centuries were marked by religious conflict, economic expansion, and periodic crisis. Marseille suffered from outbreaks of plague, most notably the devastating epidemic of 1720, which killed nearly half of the city’s population. The catastrophe left deep scars but also led to reforms in public health and urban planning.

The Plague of 1720: Catastrophe and Memory

The Great Plague of Marseille stands as one of the most traumatic events in the city’s history. Introduced by a merchant ship arriving from the eastern Mediterranean, the disease spread rapidly through the densely populated city. Authorities initially attempted to conceal the outbreak to protect trade, a decision that worsened the disaster.

The plague transformed everyday life into a struggle for survival. Entire families disappeared, streets fell silent, and mass graves became common. Yet the crisis also revealed acts of courage and solidarity. Doctors, clergy, and volunteers risked their lives to care for the sick and bury the dead.

The memory of the plague shaped Marseille’s identity for generations. It reinforced the city’s sense of vulnerability and resilience, and it influenced future approaches to public health, quarantine, and urban sanitation.

Revolution and Empire: Marseille and the Birth of Modern France

The French Revolution profoundly affected Marseille. The city embraced revolutionary ideals with enthusiasm, seeing in them a chance to reclaim autonomy and challenge royal authority. In 1792, volunteers from Marseille marched to Paris singing a war song that would later become the French national anthem: “La Marseillaise.”

Revolutionary fervor, however, also brought violence and instability. Marseille experienced political purges, economic disruption, and internal divisions. Under Napoleon, the city regained strategic importance as a naval and commercial port, but it remained under tight state control.

The revolutionary and Napoleonic periods marked Marseille’s transition into modern political life. The city became more fully integrated into the French nation-state, even as it retained a distinct local identity.

The Nineteenth Century: Industry, Empire, and Migration

The 19th century was a period of dramatic transformation for Marseille. Industrialization reshaped the port, with new docks, warehouses, and factories. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 strengthened Marseille’s role as France’s gateway to the East, linking it to colonial territories in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

This expansion brought wealth but also deep social inequalities. A growing working class labored in harsh conditions, while merchants and industrialists accumulated fortunes. Marseille became a city of migrants, attracting people from Italy, Spain, Armenia, and beyond. These communities contributed to the city’s cultural richness but also faced discrimination and hardship.

Urban growth accelerated, with new neighborhoods spreading beyond the historic center. Marseille’s population soared, and its reputation as a rough, vibrant, and unpredictable city took shape during this era.

War and Occupation: Marseille in the Twentieth Century

The two World Wars left lasting marks on Marseille. During World War I, the city served as a logistical hub, sending troops and supplies to the front. World War II was even more traumatic. Following France’s defeat in 1940, Marseille fell under the control of the Vichy regime and later Nazi occupation.

The city became a place of refuge and danger. Refugees, resistance fighters, and persecuted minorities passed through Marseille seeking escape routes. At the same time, collaboration, repression, and deportations occurred. In 1943, large parts of the old port area were destroyed by German forces, permanently altering the historic heart of the city.

Liberation in 1944 brought relief but also the challenge of reconstruction. Marseille emerged from the war scarred but determined to rebuild.

Decolonization and a Changing City

The postwar period coincided with the collapse of the French colonial empire. Decolonization profoundly affected Marseille, which received large numbers of repatriates from Algeria, as well as immigrants from North and Sub-Saharan Africa. These new arrivals reshaped the city’s demographics, culture, and politics.

Economic restructuring brought both opportunity and crisis. Traditional industries declined, unemployment rose, and social tensions increased. Yet Marseille remained a city of cultural innovation, producing new forms of music, cuisine, and urban culture that reflected its diverse population.

Contemporary Marseille: Between Memory and Reinvention

In recent decades, Marseille has undergone significant transformation. Urban renewal projects, cultural investments, and infrastructure development have sought to revitalize the city while preserving its heritage. The designation of Marseille as European Capital of Culture in 2013 symbolized a renewed confidence in its identity.

Today, Marseille is a city of contrasts: wealth and poverty, tradition and innovation, beauty and struggle coexist side by side. Its history remains visible in its streets, its port, and its people. More than a museum of the past, Marseille is a living city whose long history continues to shape its future.