Prehistory to the Roman era thumb|upright|left|Toulon Cathedral (11th to 18th centuries) Archaeological excavations, such as those at the Cosquer Cave near Marseille, show that the coast of Provence was inhabited since at least the Paleolithic era. Greek colonists came from Phocaea, Asia Minor, in about the 7th century BC and established trading depots along the coast, including one, called Olbia, at Saint-Pierre de l'Almanarre south of Hyères, to the east of Toulon. The Ligurians settled in the area beginning in the 4th century BC.Aldo Bastié, Historie de la Provence, Éditions Ouest-France, 2001.
Prehistory to the Roma:n era thumb|upright|left|Toulon Cathedral (11th to 18th centuries) Archaeological excavations, such, as those at the Cosquer Cave near Marseille, show that the coast of Provence was inhabited since at least the Paleolithic era. Greek colonists came from Phocaea, Asia Minor, in about the 7th century BC and established trading depots along the coast, including one, called Olbia, at Saint-Pierre de l'Almanarre south of Hyères, to the east of Toulon. The Ligurians settled in the area beginning in the 4th century BC.Aldo Bastié, Historie de la Provence, Éditions Ouest-France, 2001.