Reggio calabria museo nazionale bronzi di riace

The Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia (''National Museum of Magna Græcia''), Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria (''National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria'') or Palazzo Piacentini is a museum in

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, housing an archaeological collection from sites in

Magna Graecia Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; the ...

. Initially formed with a nucleus of material ceded from the city's Museo Civico in the 19th century, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Magna Grecia then grew via many discoveries in various excavation campaigns in the ancient

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

s of

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

and

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

by the Soprintendenza Archeologica della Calabria right up to the present day, including the

Riace bronzes The ''Riace bronzes'' (Italian: ''Bronzi di Riace'', ), also called the Riace Warriors, are two full-size Greek bronzes of naked bearded warriors, cast about 460–450 BC that were found in the sea in 1972 near Riace, Calabria, in southern ...

. They are extremely important for studies of the 8th century BC, but also has several objects from the prehistoric and protohistoric periods which preceded it and the

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–50 ...

and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

eras which followed. Today new finds in Calabria are no longer displayed and conserved in a single museum, but exhibited where they have been found, since the quantity of new discoveries has allowed smaller local museums to be set up for them (at

Crotone Crotone (, ; nap, label= Crotonese, Cutrone or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( grc, Κρότων or ; la, Crotona) in Magna Graecia, it was known as Cotrone from the Middle Ages unti ...

Locri Locri is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Its name derives from that of the ancient Greek region of Locris. Today it is an important administrative and cultural centre on the Ion ...

, Roccelletta di Borgia,

Sibari Sibari is an Italian ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' (municipality) of Cassano allo Ionio. It lies in the province of Cosenza which is part of the region Calabria. Geography It is located close to the Gulf of Taranto and the archaeological si ...

Vibo Valentia Vibo Valentia (; Monteleone before 1861; Monteleone di Calabria from 1861 to 1928; scn, label= Calabrian, Vibbu Valenzia or ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Calabria region of southern Italy, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the ca ...

and

Lamezia Terme Lamezia Terme (), commonly called Lamezia, is an Italian city and ''comune'' of 70,452 inhabitants (2013), in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region. Geography Lamezia is located on the eastern border of the coastal plain commonly cal ...

). These are taken together as the ''museo reggino''.

The Museo Nazionale

The most notable of its collections include: * The two large, well-preserved 5th century BC

, found in the province of Reggio, are thought to be the most significant bronze sculptures from the Greek period and among the few survivors of works by its master sculptors. Recent studies suggest they may represent

Tydeus Tydeus (; Ancient Greek: Τυδεύς ''Tūdeus'') was an Aetolian hero in Greek mythology, belonging to the generation before the Trojan War. He was one of the Seven against Thebes, and the father of Diomedes, who is frequently known by the ...

and

Amphiaraus In Greek mythology, Amphiaraus or Amphiaraos (; Ancient Greek: Ἀμφιάραος, Ἀμφιάρεως, "very sacred") was the son of Oicles, a seer, and one of the leaders of the Seven against Thebes. Amphiaraus at first refused to go with A ...

from a larger group of the

Seven against Thebes The Seven against Thebes were seven champions in Greek mythology who made war on Thebes. They were chosen by Adrastus, the king of Argos, to be the captains of an Argive army whose purpose was to restore Oedipus' son Polynices to the Theban ...

. * The Head of a Philosopher from Porticello is a rare example of Greek portraiture * The marble Reggio

Kouros kouros ( grc, κοῦρος, , plural kouroi) is the modern term given to free-standing Ancient Greek sculptures that depict nude male youths. They first appear in the Archaic period in Greece and are prominent in Attica and Boeotia, with a les ...

is a recent acquisition by the museum (shown at the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...

at Turin as the archetype of a victorious Greek athlete) * A marble head of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

, from Cirò * The group of ''the

Dioscuri Castor; grc, Κάστωρ, Kástōr, beaver. and Pollux. (or Polydeukes). are twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri.; grc, Διόσκουροι, Dióskouroi, sons of Zeus, links=no, from ''Dîos'' ( ...

falling from their horse in the battle of Sagra'', from Locri Epizefiri * The bronze tables, from the archive of the temple of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek relig ...

at Locri Epizefiri * The vast collection of

pinakes The ''Pinakes'' ( grc, Πίνακες "tables", plural of ) is a lost bibliographic work composed by Callimachus (310/305–240 BCE) that is popularly considered to be the first library catalog in the West; its contents were based upon the hold ...

, terracotta

ex voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...

s/ with the rape of

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; gr, Περσεφόνη, Persephónē), also called Kore or Cora ( ; gr, Κόρη, Kórē, the maiden), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld aft ...

from Locri Epizefiri * A rich collection of jewellery, bronze mirrors, coins and medals. The city art gallery or ''Pinacoteca comunale'' was housed in the Museum until a dedicated structure for it was completed in 2008. It includes the two ''St. Jerome'' and ''Abraham'' panels by

Antonello da Messina Antonello da Messina, properly Antonello di Giovanni di Antonio, but also called Antonello degli Antoni and Anglicized as Anthony of Messina ( 1430February 1479), was an Italian painter from Messina, active during the Early Italian Renaissance. ...

Palazzo Piacentini

The building was designed by

Marcello Piacentini Marcello Piacentini (8 December 1881 – 19 May 1960) was an Italian urban theorist and one of the main proponents of Italian Fascist architecture. Biography Born in Rome, he was the son of architect Pio Piacentini. When he was only 26, he was ...

(from whom it takes its name) and built between 1932 and 1941. Characterised by its massive volume and monumentality, it consists of a ground floor in 'bugnato' black lava stone, linking the different heights of the ''Corso Garibaldi'' and the ''Via

Vittorio Veneto Vittorio Veneto is a city and '' comune'' situated in the Province of Treviso, in the region of Veneto, Italy, in the northeast of Italy, between the Piave and the Livenza rivers, borders with the following municipalities: Alpago ( BL), Bell ...

''. On this rest grand

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

pilasters and large windows for the first floor exhibition galleries. These large windows make the galleries open, airy and light and allow smoother and more continuous routes between them. On the main facade is a series of large illustrations of the ancient currencies of the cities of Magna Graecia. After the opening many rooms on the ground floor were also opened to the public as galleries (though not designed as such) and today the Museum occupies all the available space on all the floors (three floors and a basement).

Floors

* ground floor: :Prehistory and Protohistory, with objects from Calabria :the first of two sections on the colonies of Magna Grecia, with objects from digs at ''Locri Epizephiri''; * first floor: :section part of the section on colonies, with objects from digs at ''Rhegion, Matauros,

Medma Medma or Mesma (Greek: , Steph. B.; , Strabo, Scymn. Ch.; but on coins, and so Apollodorus of Damascus, cited by Steph. B.; Scylax has , evidently a corruption for ), was an ancient Greek city of Southern Italy (Magna Graecia), on the west coas ...

, Kaulon'', and other digs in progress; :numismatics; :Roman and Byzantine; * second floor: :the ''Pinacoteca comunale'', awaiting a dedicated building; * basement: : underwater archaeology section, set up in 1981, including a vast collection of anchors and

amphora An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...

e as well as the Riace bronzes and the Porticello Bronzes.

History of the museum

The origins of the ''Museo Nazionale di Reggio Calabria'' dates back to 1882 with the foundation of the ''Museo Civico'' which, in the new climate of national unity, collected and spread culture to local people by exhibiting paintings, objects of local history and culture, archeological finds, and mementoes of ''Il Risorgimento''. This formed the ''Museo Civico di Reggio'', based in the seafront ''Palazzo Arcivescovile'' and formed of ethnology, medieval art, modern art, ''Risorgimento'' art and numismatic departments. In 1907 the ''Soprintendenza Archeologica della Calabria'' was founded under the leadership of the famous archaeologist Paolo Orsi - it carried out intense excavations at Reggio, Locri, and in the main centres of archeological interest in Calabria. After the earthquake of 1908, which destroyed the city, Paolo Orsi suggested the creation of a National Museum, to exhibit objects from state excavations alongside those from Reggio's city collections. The ''Soprintendenza Archeologica'' was set up in 1925 in Reggio and in 1932 it initiated construction of the building for the ''Museo Centrale della Magna Grecia'' or ''Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia''. It was designed by

, one of the most famous Italian architects of the first half of the 20th century, who created Italy's first purpose-built museum building (rather than a museum set up in an existing building). Its first stone was blessed by archbishop

Carmelo Pujia Carmelo Pujia (25 October 1852, Filadelfia - 20 August 1937) was an Italian bishop and archbishop. Offices *Bishop of Anglona-Tursi - appointed 13 July 1897, ordained bishop 16 January 1898 *Archbishop of Santa Severina - appointed 30 October 1905 ...

, and then laid by the

prince of Piedmont The lordship of Piedmont, later the principality of Piedmont ( it, Piemonte), was originally an appanage of the Savoyard county and as such its lords were members of the Achaea branch of the House of Savoy. The title was inherited by the elder br ...

, with the following letter walled into it: :"In the august presence of HRH

Umberto Umberto is a masculine Italian given name. It is the Italian form of Humbert. People with the name include: * King Umberto I of Italy (1844–1900) * King Umberto II of Italy (1904–1983) * Prince Umberto, Count of Salemi (1889–1918) * Umberto ...

and Maria Josè of Savoy, with solemn ritual and popular celebration, during the month of May in the tenth year of the Fascist Era, his museum wasgiven to the Fatherland by Benito Mussolini. mbertolaid the first stone of this Museum, whose treasures survived great destructive adversities and perpetuate the Millennial civilisation of the First Italy.''« Alla presenza Augusta delle LL.AA.RR. Umberto e Maria Josè di Savoia, in solenne rito e tripudio di popolo, nel Decimo Maggio dell'Era Fascista, data alla Patria da Benito Mussolini. È posata la prima pietra di questo Museo, dove tesori sopravvissuti alle tante avversità distruttrici perpetuano la civiltà Millenaria della Prima Italia »''" The new building opened in 1932 but closed on the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, which led to its objects being transferred to safer locations. The new headquarters were inaugurated in 1932 but they had to be closed up because of the war, which forced the transfer of the materials to safer sites. In 1954, the collections of the ''Museo Civico'' were reunited with those of the ''Museo Nazionale'', which was re-opened to the public in 1959. In 1962, the prehistory, protohistory and Locri rooms were opened, whilst the

lapidary Lapidary (from the Latin ) is the practice of shaping stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameos), and faceted designs. A person who practices lapidary is known as a lapidarist. A lap ...

gallery and art gallery were opened in 1969 and the numismatic gallery in 1973. After the very important find of the ''Riace Bronzes'' (which, along with the ''Head of a Philosopher'', have contributed to the museum's reputation) an underwater archaeology gallery was created in 1981, dedicated to the memory of superintendent Giuseppe Foti, who died just before its opening. In 1982 the galleries on the Greek colonies and Ionic and Tyrrhenian sub-colonies were re-arranged, thus opening the first and second floor to the public and adding 40 more galleries. There are now plans to move the medieval and modern art galleries (currently on the second floor) to another building to make room for thematic archaeological displays which are in preparation. The museum is currently divided into six sections and an art gallery, arranged in chronological and topographic order and spread over 4 floors.

Collections

The entrance is from ''Piazza De Nava'' and the visitor is immediately welcomed by the view of a tuff Telamone, coming from a public building from the 2nd century BC and found at ''Montescaglioso''.

Prehistory and Protohistory

This section, which was recently reorganized with modern didactical criteria and with the construction of various rooms, collects Calabrian materials of sure date and origin, prehistoric findings (which come from stratified excavations) presented in chronological order through the documentation from the different sites, and displayed in the long room dedicated to them. The most antique objects, coming from the

Lower Paleolithic The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 3 million years ago when the first evidence for stone tool production and use by hominins appears i ...

date back to 600,000 years ago, are "choppers" (splintered rocks), found near ''Casella di Maida'' in the center of Calabria. At the entrance of the room are two large dioramas with life scenes from the people of the Middle and

Upper Paleolithic The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories coin ...

. Next, there is the reproduction of the engraving representing the ''Bos Primigenius'' a bovid dating back around 11,000 years ago (thus from the final part of the Upper Paleolithic). It was discovered on a boulder in 1961, together with two other smaller figures and many linear signs, at the ''Riparo del Romito'' in the municipality of ''Papasidero'', along the river valley Lao, which is at the border with Basilicata. The reproduction of the engraving has a great artistic value (beside its historical value) because the assurance of the line and the tridimensional effect make it the most significant figure, among all those found in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

, of the Paleolithic realism. Next to the engraving, simulating what was found at the ''Romito'', a tomb has been recreated, in which one can see the skeletons of two people who have been buried contemporaneously in an unusual position, laying side by side and partially overlapping. The female skeleton laying underneath slips her left arm, as if in an affectionate gesture, around the neck of the young man partially above her who, as it is visible, is deformed by

rickets Rickets is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children, and is caused by either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stunted growth, bone pain, large forehead, and trouble sleeping. Complications ma ...

. Maybe these are the skeletons of the guardians, pro tempore, of this sacred place, which has bovine engravings that are the images used during the rites before the hunt. Continuing further we find another diorama constructed to show scenes of life of the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

(8,000- 5,000 years ago), followed by some show windows exhibiting terracotta, bronze, and iron objects, such as: vases, pitchers, calices, ax, swords and fibula, which go from the Neolithic to the next ages, coming from Calabrian places such as: ''Praia a Mare, Torre Galli, Santa Domenica di Ricadi, Roccella Ionica, Amendolara, Cassano allo Ionio''.

Colonies

Lokroi Epizephyrioi (Locri Epizephyrii)

=Temples of the contrada Mannella and the casa Marafioti

=Pinakes collection

=Archive of the Temple of Zeus

=Ionic Temple and Dioscuri group

Rhegion (Reggio)

=Area Griso-Laboccetta area

=Other excavations

=Chora excavations

=Reggio Kouros

Sub-colonies

=Metauros (Gioia Tauro)

=Medma (Rosarno)

=Hipponion (Vibo Valentia)

=Kaulon (Monasterace Marina)

=Laos (Marcellina)

=Krimissa (marine Cirò)

Numismatics

Roman and Byzantine

Art gallery

The art collection has been relocated to the

Pinacoteca Civica The Palazzo Chiericati is a Renaissance palace in Vicenza (northern Italy), designed by Andrea Palladio. History Palladio was asked to design and build the palazzo by Count Girolamo Chiericati. The architect started building the palace i ...

, in the former foyer of the city theatre.

Underwater archaeology

Porticello bronzes

=Head of the Basilea

=Head of the philosopher

Riace bronzes

=Statue B

Notes

Bibliography

* AAVV. ''Il Museo Nazionale di Reggio Calabria''. Laruffa, Reggio Calabria, 2004. * Paolo Enrico Arias. ''Cinquanta anni di ricerche archeologiche sulla Calabria (1937–1987)''. Rovito, 1988. * Daniele Castrizio, Maria Rosaria Fascì, Renato G. Laganà. ''Reggio Città d'Arte''. * Giulio Iacopi. ''L'organizzazione del Museo Nazionale di Reggio Calabria (Museo Centrale della Magna Grecia)''. Estratto da: Almanacco del Turista, 1953. * Giuseppe Foti. ''I bronzi di Riace''. Novara, 1985. * Giuseppe Foti, Francesco Nicosia. ''I bronzi di Riace, dal Centro di restauro della Soprintendenza archeologica della Toscana al Museo nazionale di Reggio Calabria''. Firenze, Italia grafiche, 1981. * Giuseppe Foti. ''Il Museo nazionale di Reggio Calabria''. Napoli, Di Mauro, 1972. BNI 733791. * Domenico Laruffa. ''Il Museo nazionale della Magna Grecia di Reggio Calabria''. Reggio Calabria, Laruffa, 2004. . * Elena Lattanzi. ''Il Museo nazionale di Reggio Calabria''. Reggio Calabria, Gangemi, 1987. . * Elena Lattanzi. ''Il Museo Nazionale di Reggio Calabria. Memorie della Magna Grecia''. Gangemi, Reggio Calabria. . * Maria Gulli. ''The Riace bronzes and the Museo Nazionale of Reggio Calabria''. Catanzaro, 1997. * Maurizio Harari. ''A proposito dei Bronzi di Riace''. in Athenaeum, 1988. * Mario Lupano. ''Marcello Piacentini''. Bari, Laterza, 1991, . * Paolo Moreno. ''I bronzi di Riace, il maestro di Olimpia e i sette a Tebe''. Milano, Electa, 1998. . * Domenico Musti. ''Magna Grecia''. Bari, Editori Laterza, 205. . * Augusto Placanica. ''Storia della Calabria''. Reggio Calabria, Gangemi, 2002. . * Gisela Marie Augusta Richter. ''Kouroi, archaic Greek youths, A study of the development of the kouros type in Greek sculpture''. London, The Phaidon press, 1960. * C. Sabbione, R. Spadea. ''Il Museo di Reggio''. 1994. * M. Taliercio Mensitieri, E. Spagnoli. ''Ripostigli dalla Piana lametina nel Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria''. Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino, 2001. * Alessandra Melucco Vaccaro, Giovanna De Palma. ''I bronzi di Riace, restauro come conoscenza''. Roma, Artemide edizioni, 2003. . * Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato. ''Museo nazionale di Reggio Calabria''. Reggio Calabria, Parallelo 38, 1975. * Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato. ''Due bronzi da Riace, rinvenimento, restauro, analisi ed ipotesi di interpretazione''. Roma, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, 1984.

External links

*
Museum website
*

(Ministero dei Beni culturali)
Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia on Google Maps

Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia on Wikimapia
{{authority control

Magna Grecia Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; these ...

Art museums and galleries in Calabria

Buildings and structures in Reggio Calabria Italian fascist architecture Art of Magna Graecia Museums in Calabria Museums established in 1882 1882 establishments in Italy History of Calabria