National Archaeological Museum, Tirana

The National Archaeological Museum (Albanian Muzeu Arkeologjik Kombëtar ) in the Albanian capital Tirana is the oldest archaeological museum of Albania and the first museum ever to be opened after the Second World War. The museum is located on the east side of Nënë - Tereza - site near the University of Tirana, integrated in a building complex of Italian time with a large portico next to the university today.

The museum is headed by the Albanian Academy of Sciences.

History

The institution was opened on 1 November 1948 as the Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum and retained this name until 1976, when the ethnographic part outsourced and became an independent museum. Then the name was changed to its present form in the National Archaeological Museum. The museum had to be extended several times in the course of time due to lack of space (1957, 1976, 1982, 1985 and 1998).

Collection

The museum has over 2,000 issued copies, the largest archaeological collection throughout Albania. The specimens are from the following six periods:

  • Stone Age: 100000-2000 BC
  • Bronze and Iron Ages: 2000-800 BC
  • Illyrian settlement and urbanization around 1000 BC
  • Period of the Illyrian antiquity between 1000 BC and 100 AD
  • Late Antiquity: 100 to 600 AD
  • Middle Ages and the Ottoman conquest: 600-1500

Departments

The museum is divided into five sections which house the various gathered from all over Albania exhibition copies of the respective eras. In the first and second hall objects of prehistory ( Stone to Iron Age ) are exhibited. The third room provides various objects between the 4th century BC and the 6th century AD on display, showing particularly the normal life of the Illyrians and their trade with the Greek colonies. In the fourth hall of statues and sculptures can be seen from the early ancient times as well as objects from the Greek colonies Dyrrachium, Apollonia and Oricum. In the fifth and last hall there are numerous objects from fortresses and tombs, which date from the early and late Middle Ages. Especially numerous in specimens are objects of late antique graves from Koman.

Academy of Sciences of Albania Bronze Age Apollonia (Illyria) Koman Hydroelectric Power Station
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