Chapter 1. A Overview of the campaigns and research on the Arles-Rhône 3 shipwreck The Arles-Rhône 3 shipwreck was discovered in 2004 during an archaeological mapping operation undertaken by the Drassm in the Rhône at Arles. The wreck was located on the right bank of the river between 4 to 9 m depth and beneath 40 cm to 2 m of sediment that corresponded to layers of port refuse of the Roman city. First assessed in 2005 and 2006, soundings were then taking in 2007 before a programme of excavations was established beginning in 2008 under the joint supervision of archaeologists from the Arkaeos association, the Centre Camille Jullian and the Museum of Arles Antique. Three years of excavation revealed the exceptional state of preservation of this Gallo-Roman barge. It appeared that the hull was almost entirely conserved along with the internal layout for loading and the inner furniture, and thus the General Council of the Bouches-du-Rhône in agreement with the Drassm, has decided that, after excavation, the wreck would be lifted from the site with a view to restoration and eventual public exhibition. The excavation and raising of the barge took place in 2011, carried out by the teams of the Arles Museum of Antiquity, associated to the O’Can and Ipso Facto companies, with the support of the Drassm. In the end, it took 237 days of excavation involving some 5700 dive hours in order to excavate more than 1 000 m3 of the port refuse sediment that enveloped the wreck, of which some 900 m3 were sifted on land as part of the dig. The stratigraphy of the refuse layers in this immediate site was documented and the archaeological material found within was handed over to the Museum of Arles Antique, which now exhibits a part of these collections while the remainder is under study and analysis. After excavation and documentation in situ, the wreck was lifted onto land in ten sections, which were then recorded and surveyed in 3D using a C-Track imaging tool. There then followed a series of treatments in the ARC-Nucléart laboratory in Grenoble involving immersion in PEG solutions, freeze-drying and a complementary treatment by impregnation with a polyester resin and gamma radiation for the bow and mast. Thereafter, the 200-odd pieces of the boat were reassembled by restorers of the Grenoble workshop in collaboration with boilermakers from the Cic-Orio company, while restorers from A-Corros were responsible for the metallic elements of the wreck. The barge is now exhibited as if navigating, with a part of its load, its internal furnishing and sailing gear, within a specially built wing on the Museum of Arles Antique dedicated to the sea-river activities of Arles port in the Roman era.