MArTA – the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto – is one of the main archaeological museum institutions in Southern Italy. Located in the city center, it preserves, studies, and makes accessible to the public the heritage from Taranto and its surrounding area, documenting a history that spans from prehistory to the Roman and late antique period....Read more
MArTA – the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto – is one of the main archaeological museum institutions in Southern Italy. Located in the city center, it preserves, studies, and makes accessible to the public the heritage from Taranto and its surrounding area, documenting a history that spans from prehistory to the Roman and late antique period. Established at the end of the 19th century, the museum is housed in the former convent of San Pasquale di Baylon, a building that has been expanded and reorganized several times to accommodate the collections and services for visitors, scholars, and educational activities. Its current role is not only exhibition-oriented: it carries out functions of protection, research, cataloging, conservation, restoration, and dissemination of local archaeology. The collections notably illustrate the development of ancient Taras, a colony founded by Sparta and later becoming one of the most important cities of Magna Graecia, then transformed into the Roman Tarentum. Among the materials are ceramics, sculptures, funerary objects, coins, everyday use artifacts, and artifacts related to cults and urban life. The Gold of Taranto is particularly famous, refined Hellenistic jewelry that testifies to the high level achieved by ancient goldsmithing. The museum's itinerary relates objects, funerary contexts, settlements, and landscapes, offering an interpretation of the cultural continuity of the Ionian territory. MArTA is therefore a reference point for understanding Magna Graecia civilization, the history of Taranto, and the archaeological heritage of Puglia.
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