Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The Museo Civico Archeologico’s collections developed from a single initial nucleus comprising the holdings of the Università di Bologna (consisting of the Aldrovandi, Cospi, Marsili and Lambertini collections), and subsequently expanded with the acquisition of the exceptional collection of Palagio Pelagi, a Bolognese artist, purchased by the city in 1861.

The following years saw a successful period of urban excavations, starting in 1869 with the discovery of Etruscan tombs at the Certosa, followed by years of important finds within the city and surrounding area.

The museum was appointed to receive all the material found during the excavations, with the finds being displayed in some rooms next to the Archiginnasio during the 5^th International Anthropological and Archaeological Congress of 1871.

In 1881, the museum was inaugurated in Palazzo Galvani, which had just been enlarged and modernised, displaying items from the collections and recent excavations.

Currently, the museum holds about 200,000 items, divided into sections which still in part maintain the original display criteria and ordering.

More info

Explore the Museum via the website through the following ways:

• SECTIONS: a series of itineraries in the Museum, through an introduction to the treated civilizations, show the most significant works of the collections
• ITINERARIES (ITA): a series of in-depth thematic itineraries for each civilization (historical and chronological development, artistic, etc.). ITALIAN LANGUAGE
• ONLINE COLLECTIONS (ITA): is available a database of approximately 2500 objects, chosen from the collection Egyptian, Greek, Numismatic. ITALIAN LANGUAGE