The ramparts of Marseille in the trash
Ramparts dating from Louis XIV and which surrounded the city of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) at the end of the 17th century were brought to light during work on the boulevard des Dames, opposite the regional council, before being cleared to allow pipes to pass. These remains have been declared and submitted for inspection by Inrap (National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research). However, they were destroyed because they interfered with the installation of a heating system, archaeologists believing that this section is only part of the now buried rampart. Like all construction waste, these stones, which did not have sufficient interest to be put in the municipal archaeological deposit, took the direction of the waste disposal centre.
“There was worse with the stones of the old Roman theater which ended up in the trash and a basilica from the 5th and 6th centuries, in the same district as the rampart, was destroyed to make room for a parking lot, sighs Yves Davin, president of the Comité du Vieux Marseille. For this rampart, we had been alerted by a local resident, this perhaps shows that a heritage watch is beginning to be activated in a city which tends to mistreat its heritage for the benefit of economic interests. »
Even if these vestiges were considered of little value, the city of Marseille is indeed often singled out for not keeping traces of its past. The latest controversy concerned a quarry dating from the Greek foundation of Massalia on which a building was built, the rest having to be reburied, as the Ministry of Culture has just confirmed.