  The ANTARES deep-sea neutrino telescope will be located at a depth of 2400 m
in the Mediterranean Sea. Deployment of the detector will commence this Autumn
and is expected to be completed by the end of 2004. With a surface area of the
order of 0.1 km^2 it will be one of the largest European detectors. The aim of
neutrino telescopes is to detect high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical
sources whilst also providing information on the early Universe. Successful
operation of ANTARES in a deep sea environment constitutes an important
milestone towards the ultimate goal of the construction of an underwater
neutrino telescope at the cubic-kilometre scale. The sky coverage of
astrophysical sources offered by a Mediterranean neutrino telescope is
complementary to any similar device at the South Pole. The current status of
the project is discussed and the expected performance of the detector is
described in the context of the scientific programme of the project which
comprises astrophysical studies, dark matter searches and neutrino
oscillations.
