Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The ancient quarry of the Corderie, discovered in 2016-17 during preventive excavations in the Saint-Victor district of Marseille, is a major archaeological site linked to the Greek foundation of Massalia around 600 B.C. Operated continuously from the 6th century B.C. in the Roman era, it was used to extract local limestone, a material prized for monumental construction (columns, walls in opus quadratum) and the manufacture of sarcophagi. Archaeologists have identified complete traces of the operating chain, from the draft to the finished tanks, including an incomplete defect. This deposit, formed 26,000 years ago by a paleochenal, offers a unique insight into Greek and Roman techniques of extraction and stone cutting.

The career went through two distinct phases of activity. The first, the contemporary foundation of Massalia, was dedicated to monumental blocks and sarcophagi, while the second, in the second century BC (Hellenistic era), saw the reopening of a breach to extract new materials. Traditional tools (pics, corners, levers) and a Roman graffiti attest to its prolonged use. The blocks from this quarry, recognizable by their specific limestone, were found in harbour, religious and defensive buildings of the city, confirming its central role in ancient urban planning. Its classification as a historical monument in 2018, after a controversy about its partial destruction, preserved 635 m2 of the 4,200 m2 searched.

The discovery of the site in 2017, during real estate works led by Vinci, generated a citizen and media mobilization for its preservation. Despite petitions (one reaching 16,000 signatures) and the intervention of political figures such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon, 80% of the site was destroyed in December 2017 to give way to a building. Opponents declared a "heritage carnage", revealing that the town hall and Vinci had known the existence of the career since polls in 2002. Today, only a small area is accessible to the public, nine days a year, while legal remedies (such as the one filed in 2023 by the ART 13 association) attempt to cancel its landfill.

The Corderie limestone, distinct from the limestone of Saint-Victor by its geomorphological properties, was extracted more than 6 metres deep, making this site one of the oldest Mediterranean quarries. According to Jean-Claude Bessac, a specialist in ancient quarries, she did not "just a few equivalents" in the Greek world, where marble quarries received more attention. Possible comparisons include the Sicilian sites of Selinonte and Syracuse, or that of Thasos in Greece. Traceological analysis of the remains helped to identify tools and methods similar to those used in other ancient quarries, reinforcing its scientific interest.

The classification of the site in 2018 by the Minister of Culture Françoise Nyssen, although partial, marked an acknowledgement of its historical value. However, the controversy highlighted the tensions between heritage preservation and urban planning. The defenders of the site, including archaeologists such as Michel Bats or Alain Nicolas, emphasized its importance in understanding the constructive history of Massalia, from its Greek origins to its integration into Roman Narbonnaise. Despite the destructions, the preserved remains offer a rare testimony of the craft techniques and economic networks that shaped ancient Marseilles.

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