1st Arrondissement in Marseille in Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, France — Western Europe
Civilization Plaque
Photographed by Flexible Fotography
1. Civilization Plaque Marker
Here, around 600 BC, Greek sailors from Phocaea, a city in Asia Minor, landed and founded Marseille, thus spreading civilization from this place into the West.
Erected 1952.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 43° 17.701′ N, 5° 22.437′ E. Marker is in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Provence-Alps-French Riviera), in Bouches-du-Rhône. It is in 1st Arrondissement. It can be reached from Quai des Belges. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 19 Quai des Belges, Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur 13001, France. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least one other marker is within walking distance of this marker: Ancien Observatoire de Marseille (approx. 0.6 kilometers away in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur).
Also see . . . History of Marseille (Wikipedia). Excerpt:
Marseille, France was originally founded circa 600 BC as the Greek colony of Massalia (Latin: Massilia) and populated by Greeks from Phocaea (modern Foça, Turkey). It became the preeminent Greek polis in the Hellenized region of southern Gaul…(Submitted on July 2, 2026.)
Massalia, whose name was probably adapted from an existing language related to Ligurian, was the first Greek settlement in France. It was established within modern Marseille around 600 BC by colonists coming from Phocaea (now Foça, in modern Turkey) on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. The connection between Massalia and the Phoceans is mentioned in Thucydides's Peloponnesian War; he notes that the Phocaean project was opposed by the Carthaginians, whose fleet was defeated. The founding of Massalia has also been recorded as a legend. According to the legend, Protis (in Aristotle, Euxenes), a native of Phocae, while exploring for a new trading outpost or emporion to make his fortune, discovered the Mediterranean cove of the Lacydon, fed by a freshwater stream and protected by two rocky promontories…
Credits. This page was last revised on September 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2026, by Flexible Fotography of San Diego, California. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on July 2, 2026, by Flexible Fotography of San Diego, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
