Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée de l'Éphèbe was built in 1984 by architect Jean Le Couteur around the farmhouse of La Clape, an 18th-century farm. It was designed to accommodate the Epheb of Agde, a Hellenistic bronze statue discovered in 1964 in the Hérault River, probably representing Alexander the Great (IInd century BC). This major piece, originally exhibited at the Louvre, motivated the creation of dedicated museum equipment, inaugurated in 1987 as part of the Racine Mission.

The museum is the only one in France entirely dedicated to underwater and underwater archaeology. Its collections, from excavations or fortuitous discoveries, cover a period from the Bronze Age (X century BC) to the 19th century. They include objects related to maritime commerce, naval architecture, and daily life, such as amphoras, anchors, or exceptional bronzes, including two Roman statues (Cupidon and a young boy).

The iconic pieces also include a first century BC mosaic illustrating the judgment of Marsyas, as well as elements of the wreckage of the corvette Le Rhône (1836) and the Swedish brig Jeanne-Elisabeth (1755). The museum received the label "Musée de France" in 2002 and regularly organizes temporary exhibitions, such as those dedicated to ancient Egypt in the 1990s, attracting up to 190,000 visitors.

The collections are continuously enriched by archaeological excavations, including those carried out by the Department of Underwater and Submarine Archaeological Research (DRASM). The museum is distinguished by its diachronic approach, covering nearly 3,000 objects reflecting Mediterranean maritime history, from protohistory to modern times.

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