Musée départemental Arles antique

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Musée départemental Arles antique
Data
place Arles , south of France
Art
Archaeological Museum
architect Henri Ciriani
opening 1995
Website

The Musée départemental Arles antique , also known as the Musée bleu , is the archaeological museum in Arles that opened in 1995. It visualizes the history of the settlement of Arles and its surroundings from prehistory to the end of Roman times . His collection of late Roman sarcophagi is surpassed in number and quality only by the Vatican Museums in Rome. The museum building in the form of an elongated triangle is considered a successful museum didactic.

Geographical location

The museum is located southwest of the old town, from which it is separated by the N113 , between the Rhone and the Canal de l'Ecluse , right next to the remains of the Circus .

building

Interior view of the museum with one of the Roman cargo ships in the permanent exhibition

In 1983 Henri Ciriani won the architectural competition for the new building. This replaced two smaller museums, the Musée Lapidaire (in the Saint-Anne chapel next to the town hall) and the Musée d'art chrétien (in the former Jesuit church). These were outdated in terms of their museum didactic design and, as they were housed in former churches, had no expansion options.

The new building has an area of ​​12,000 m². In addition to the permanent exhibition, there is also a hall for temporary exhibitions.

As of 2011, the building received an extension in order to be able to exhibit the approximately 30-meter-long Roman cargo ship found during the Arles-Rhône 3 excavation . The extension opened in autumn 2013.

Permanent exhibition

The permanent exhibition is arranged chronologically, the Roman times in thematic groups. There are a total of seven exhibition areas, with the Roman period being the focus:

  1. Arles before the arrival of the Romans : Stone Age , Bronze Age , Celts and Hellenism
  2. The Romans in Arles
  3. A large sea and river port (Roman times)
  4. Crafts and agriculture (Roman times)
  5. Daily life (Roman times)
  6. Burial rituals (Roman times)
  7. Arles and the Christian World ( Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages )

The museum's greatest treasure is the numerous late Roman sarcophagi, which in their decor show the change from pagan to Christian symbolism.

In addition to archaeological finds, there are also a number of models on display. Small finds are shown systematically, similar objects together, in showcases. In addition, display boards explain what is shown. The exhibits listed below are only a selection.

Models

Model of the Barbegal watermills
  • The “Le Quartier du jardin river” model is a replica of the pre-Roman Arles (scale 1:30). It is designed according to findings that were discovered in excavations from 1975 in the area of ​​the Boulevard des Lices . The time from 500 to 375 BC is shown.
  • The model of the Roman Forum of Arles (scale 1: 100)
  • The model of the amphitheater in Arles (scale 1: 100). It shows the amphitheater with the sun protection sails raised.
  • The model of the Arles Circus
  • The model of the Roman ship bridge at Arles
  • The model of the Barbegal watermills (scale 1: 100).

Works of art and statues

Bust of Aphrodite

  • A copy of the famous “Venus de Arles” is on display (the original is in the Louvre in Paris ). Venus was found in the theater of Arles in 1651 and given to the King of France. The 205 cm high marble statue is a Roman copy of a Greek original of Aphrodite of Thespiai, which is dated to 360 BC. The copy in the museum was made in the 17th century.
  • The "bust of the young prince" (Buste de jeune prince) . The 45 cm high marble bust is dated 160 AD. It was found in the ancient theater of Arles in 1847.
  • The bust of Aphrodite (Aphrodite). The 57 cm high marble bust was probably made in the 1st century BC. It was found in the ancient theater of Arles in 1823.
  • The Altar of Apollon (Autel d'Apollon) made of Carrara marble is dated to the end of the 1st century BC. It was found in the ancient theater of Arles in 1823.
  • The dancers. Two headless and armless statues depicting dancers in the Hellenistic style.
  • The Medea (Médée) , a limestone statue that shows a woman with two children huddled against her skirt. It is 123 cm high and was created in the 2nd – 3rd centuries. Century.
  • The Faun statue (Faune) is a 51 cm high bronze statue from the 1st century BC. It was found in 1967 in the sea near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer .
  • The monumental waistcoat statue of Augustus was found in the ancient theater of Arles, initially the torso in 1750 and the head in 1834. Both parts are made of different types of marble, the base of the statue is made of limestone from the area around Arles. The statue is dated differently. Since it probably occupied a central position on the back wall of the theater due to its size, it could have been built by the time it was completed in 12-10 BC. Have been set up. The fact that Augustus appears aged in this depiction speaks for a later creation in the Tiberian period AD 20–40.

Sarcophagi

Trinity sarcophagus
Early Christian sarcophagus
  • The "Trinity Sarcophagus" or "Sarcophagus of the married couple" (Sarcophage des Epoux)
  • The “sarcophagus of the muses” (Sarcophage des Muses) made of white marble was created in the 2nd century AD.
  • The sarcophagus of the psyche (Sarcophage de Psyche)
  • The " Dioscures sarcophagus" (Sarcophage des Dioscures)
  • The "Phedra and Hippolytus Sarcophagus" (Sarcophage de Phèdre et Hippolyte)
  • The "Sarcophagus of Marcina Romania Celsa" (Sarcophage des Marcina Romania Celsa) was created in the second quarter of the 4th century.
  • The Sarcophagus of the Hunt (Sarcophage de la Chasse)
  • The "Sarcophagus of the Prayer" (Sarcophage de l'orante)
  • The "Sarcophagus of Bishop Concordius" (Sarcophage de Concordius)
  • The Sarcophage de la remise de la Loi à sait Pierre
  • Two sarcophagi on the theme of the passage through the Red Sea (Sarcophages du Passage de la Mer Rouge)
  • The "Sarcophagus of Bishop Aeonius"

Mosaics

Orpheus mosaic

A gallery was created for the mosaics, which enables visitors to view the objects from above.

  • The "Mosaic des Annus-Aiôn" (Mosaïque de l'Annus-Aiôn) was found near the glassworks in 1983 and finally uncovered in 1992. It is dated to the 2nd century.
  • The "Mosaic des Orpheus" (Mosaïque d'Orphée) was uncovered in 1934 by MArcelin, Boyer . It is dated to the 3rd to 4th centuries.

literature

in alphabetical order by authors / editors

  • Patrice Arcelin, and Claude Sintès: Musée de l'Arles antique. Actes Sud, 2006, ISBN 2-7427-3828-2
  • Catherine Bastien: César le Rhône pour mémoire. Vingt ans de fouilles dans le fleuve à Arles . Actes Sud, 2009, ISBN 978-2-7427-8610-7 (book accompanying the temporary exhibition October 24, 2009 - September 19, 2010).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information on the museum's website about the museum building .
  2. ↑ Claude Djaoui: Arles-Rhône 3. ISBN 978-2-7427-9745-5 , pp. 213-221.
  3. ^ Musée départemental Arles antique (ed.): Tour [leaflet]. Arles n.d. [before 2018].
  4. ↑ Arcelin, p. 35.
  5. ↑ Arcelin, p. 72.
  6. ↑ a b Arcelin, p. 68.
  7. ↑ Arcelin, pp. 68-69.
  8. ^ Arcelin, p. 65.
  9. ^ Arcelin, p. 67.
  10. ↑ a b Arcelin, p. 136.
  11. ^ Arcelin, p. 139.
  12. ^ Arcelin, p. 63
  13. ↑ Cécile Carrier: Sculptures augustéennes du théâtre d'Arles. In: Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise, Vol. 38-39, 2005, pp. 365-396 Online
  14. ^ Arcelin, p. 157.
  15. ^ Arcelin, p. 153.
  16. ↑ a b Arcelin, p. 154.
  17. ^ Arcelin, p. 156.
  18. ^ Arcelin, p. 158.
  19. ^ Arcelin, p. 158.
  20. ^ Arcelin, p. 159.
  21. ^ Arcelin, p. 160.
  22. ^ Arcelin, p. 161.
  23. ↑ Arcelin, pp. 107-109.
  24. ↑ Arcelin, pp. 104-106.

Coordinates: 43 ° 40 ′ 21 ″  N , 4 ° 36 ′ 59 ″  E