National Archaeological Museum

At the Ludovico il Moro Palace

The museum, housed on the first floor of the Palazzo Costabili, exhibits the findings of the Etruscan city of Spina which flourished from the 6th to the 3rd century B.C. and survived until the first centuries A.D. After it was submerged by the water of the Po Delta, it became just a legendary name for centuries, until, at the beginning of the 20th century, the first necropolises were brought to light again by land reclamation works. Archaeological excavations have since unearthed of thousands of graves. In the second half of the 20th century the site of the built-up area was identified.

The museum conserves various types of objects, many of them of excellent artistic quality. The abundance of sets of objects for symposium of Athenian origin bears witness to the city’s close cultural links with Greece. In fact, the Greeks counted the inhabitants of Spina among their fellow citizens. In the port of Spina, an important trading centre, goods from all over the known world, from northern Europe to the coast of Africa, used to arrive and a considerable wealth spread among its inhabitants. Only part of the collections are displayed taking up six rooms. Objects are divided by sets, that is there are grouped together according to the burial grounds they came from. Particularly fascinating are the large Attic symposium vases upon which are depicted scenes of daily life, mythological scenes, or scenes depicting the Trojan war. Alongside these richly decorated objects are others for more ordinary use, and other objects, such as candelabras, tripods, stands, mostly in bronze, were made by the Etruscans.