Regional Archeological Museum Antonio Salinas

The Museo Archeologico Regionale Antonino Salinas in Palermo ( Regional Archaeological Museum ) houses a collection of archaeological finds mainly from the western part of the island of Sicily from prehistory until the late Roman period.

Building

The Archaeological Regional Museum is housed in the former convent of the Congregation of St. Philip Neri. This building complex, called Olivella, which also includes the church of S. Ignazio and the adjacent oratory include, began at the end of the 16th century according to a plan by Antonio Muttone. Completed but it was only in the 17th century. In 1866 it was converted into a museum. After suffering heavy damage during the Second World War entire wing had to be rebuilt.

The exhibition rooms are grouped in three storeys to two courtyards with arcades, which formerly served as the convent's cloisters.

The core of the collection is the collection of the Museo dell'Università founded in 1814. The archaeologist Antonino Salinas (1841-1914) contributed by its intense activity with much to expand the collection. Therefore, the museum is to honor him his name.

The museum's first grew through donations (especially the Bourbon rulers ) and through the acquisition of private collections. Only later were added materials from systematic excavations (and partly also from random finds ).

The museum also houses an archaeological specialist library.

Exhibits

Finds from Selinunte

In a separate room finds from Selinunte are issued. Above all these are parts of the Doric frieze, which are characterized by a sequence of triglyphs and metopes.

The pictured to the right frieze fragment with three metopes of the temple dates back to C ( 6th century BC). These metopes were salvaged in 1823 by two Englishmen. 1827 came four metopes of the temple E ( 5th century BC) to do so.

Compared to older archaic metopes, which are also on display here at the metopes of the Temple C is the transition from flat, more relief-like representations to identify a more realistic plastic representation.

While the figures are shown in more head-on the metopes of Temple C, the metopes of the temple younger I only show side views. In them, each male and female figures face, with the body of the female figures are made of a lighter material.

In an adjacent room there is a reconstruction of the earthen Tympanonschmucks of temple C.

There are also parts of the temple B are from the 4th century BC, the traces of color brought the classic image of the pure white temple falter.

Bronze collection

A separate room is devoted to Greek bronzes.

The most impressive sculpture is a bronze ram from Syracuse ( 4th century BC). It probably comes from the school of Lysippos and shows a very vivid display. The ram lying raised his head and turned to the side, and a loose flöckiges fur covers the body. Together with a second ram he decorated the main gate of the Castello Maniace in Syracuse. The second copy was destroyed during the Revolution of 1848.

A more impressive sculpture is the bronze statue of Hercules, who wrestles with a deer.

In addition, numerous small sculptures are exhibited in the showcases.

Other exhibits

• Prehistoric finds, inter alia, a copy of the cave paintings of the cave of prehistoric ceramics and Addaura
• Underwater Archaeology (anchor and finds from sunken ships )
• The Palermostein, a stone slab, are recorded on the both sides with hieroglyphics the annals of the first five dynasties of the Egyptian Old Kingdom
• Male torso of Mozia, one of the finest examples of Punic art
• Phoenician and Carthaginian anthropomorphic sarcophagi
• Punic grave stelae in the form of a Megaron with painted banquet scenes of the deceased
• Lion head gargoyles of the temple of Himera
• One of the largest Etruscan collections outside of Tuscany, va Grave stelae, sarcophagi and urns from Chiusi Etruscan and Buccerokeramik
• Roman mosaics and sarcophagi