Neapol Archaeological Museum

The Naples Archaeological Museum has one of the most extensive collections dedicated to the history of the Roman Empire. Here you can see the unique exhibits that were found during the excavations of the cities of Pompeii, Herculanum, Stabi.

Museum History

The building of the Archaeological Museum of Naples was built in 1615 and the University of Naples was located in it until 1777. In 1816, in the building of the former university, the Royal Museum of Naples was officially opened. King Ferdinand I had a hand in opening the museum, he collected many exhibits, adding to them the collection of his mother, Queen Catherine Farnese. The number of valuable historical items has become so large that new areas were required to place them. In the 19th century, the collection of the Neapol Archaeological Museum was constantly replenished thanks to excavations in the Campaign. In 1860, the museum became state-owned and became known as the National Museum.

Until 1957, the museum had an art gallery, but it was transferred to the Capodimonte Museum, and the museum received today's name Naples National Archaeological Museum.

Exposition of statues of the Greco-Roman period

The first floor of the building is occupied by unique works of sculptors of the ancient period, located on both sides of a spacious hall equipped with benches, fountains and rich vegetation. From this patio, visitors can head to the Fontanov Garden, located on the right, or to the Kameli Garden, which is opposite. Sculptures are installed in galleries surrounded by gardens.

A complex, multi-figure statue called the Farnesian Bull was found in the terms of the Caracalla. According to legend, the great Michelangelo was involved in her restoration. There is also the famous textbook figure of Hercules, based on the trunk of a tree. Many images of divine characters and portraits of emperors, known throughout the world for copies and reproductions, are collected in this rich collection. Under the Greco-Roman halls there is another 1st level, where one of the significant collections of Egyptian artifacts is exhibited. Among them there are metal plates containing inscriptions on ancient adversities.

Mosaic on the top floor

At the 2nd level of the Neapol Archaeological Museum, you can see rare coins and medals that are stored in a special room. The remaining 8 rooms are occupied by ancient mosaic fragments that once adorned architectural structures in Herculanum, the Fauna villa in Pompeii or the walls of houses in Stabia. Columns are also exhibited here, which are the rarest monument of mosaic art. They are covered with subtle drawings depicting everyday or mythological scenes, as well as original ornaments.

One of the most striking works of the mosaic is « Mask with fruits and leaves ». Most spectators are captivated by the huge panel « Battle of Issa », which depicts the famous battle between the soldiers of Alexander the Great and Daria. A special part of the exposition is the Secret Room, which displays images of erotic scenes, widespread in ancient art.

Inspection of museum values ends on the 3rd floor, where there is a spacious Hall of Sunflower, with a high domed ceiling painted with unique frescoes. It intersects with a diagonal brass strip depicting meridian. The peculiarity of the device of this gnome is that the projections of sunlight, passing through the upper windows, cover the Zodiac signs one by one day.