National Museum of Magna Græcia

About

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, southern Italy, housing an archaeological collection from sites in Magna Graecia. 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-states of Calabria, Basilicata and Sicily by the Soprintendenza Archeologica della Calabria right up to the present day, including the Riace bronzes. 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 and Byzantine 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, Locri, Roccelletta di Borgia, Sibari, Vibo Valentia and...

The most notable of its collections include:

- The two large, well-preserved 5th century BC Riace bronzes, 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 and Amphiaraus from a larger group of the Seven against Thebes.

- The Head of a Philosopher from Porticello is a rare example of Greek portraiture

- The marble Reggio Kouros is a recent acquisition by the museum (shown at the 2006 Winter Olympics at Turin as the archetype of a victorious Greek athlete)

- The group of the Dioscuri falling from their horse in the battle of Sagra, from Epizephyrian Locris

- The bronze tables, from the archive of the temple of Zeus at Epizephyrian Locris

- The vast collection of pinakes, terracotta ex votos / with the rape of Persephone from Epizephyrian Locris

- 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.

The building was designed by Marcello Piacentini (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. On this rest grand travertine 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).

- 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 Epizephyrian Locris;

- first floor: section part of the section on colonies, with objects from digs at Rhegion, Matauros, Medma, 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 amphorae as well as the Riace bronzes and the Porticello Bronzes.

The building was designed by Marcello Piacentini (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. On this rest grand travertine 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).

- 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 Epizephyrian Locris;

- first floor: section part of the section on colonies, with objects from digs at Rhegion, Matauros, Medma, 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 amphorae as well as the Riace bronzes and the Porticello Bronzes.

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.