/ The Tarasque of Noves © Vincent FlachaireThe Iron Age began in the region around the eighth century BC. Ancient writers called some of its inhabitants Ligurians. Their origins and connections with prehistoric communities cannot be reduced to a direct line of descent from the Chasséen culture.
Celtic influences from central Europe gradually spread southwards. They mingled with local traditions, producing communities that historians and archaeologists describe as Celto-Ligurian. Some settlements developed into oppida, fortified towns often built on high ground, which could serve political, economic and religious functions.
The peoples of the region organised themselves into communities and confederations. The Salyens were important in Marseille's hinterland, and their relations with the Greek city were sometimes hostile. The hilltop settlement of Entremont, above Aix-en-Provence, is generally associated with this confederation. The Cavares lived around Cavaillon and Avignon; the Voconces occupied an area in which Vaison-la-Romaine became a major centre. The Volcae Arecomici occupied the right bank of the Rhône, around Nîmes.
/ Marseille's Old Port © Vincent FlachaireAround 600 BC, Greeks from Phocaea, a city in Asia Minor, founded Massalia on the site of modern Marseille. This foundation was a major milestone in the region's history. The Phocaeans developed trade with other Mediterranean civilisations and contributed to the growth of viticulture.
Massalia was a prosperous trading city looking out towards the Mediterranean. It developed a network of colonies and trading posts, notably at Agde, Antibes and Nice, and traded with settlements such as Arles. Relations with inland peoples alternated between exchange and conflict. At sea, it competed with Carthage and developed closer ties with Rome.
Sources and further reading: French Ministry of Culture: the Volcae Arecomici.