 At the beginning of the 18th century, Provence suffered from the economic malaise of the end of the reign of Louis XIV.The plague struck the region between 1720 and 1722, beginning in Marseille, killing some 40,000 people.Still, by the end of the century, many artisanal industries began to flourish; making perfumes in Grasse; olive oil in Aix and the Alpilles; textiles in Orange, Avignon and Tarascon; and faience pottery in Marseille, Apt, Aubagne, and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.