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| Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto (MARTA) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto (MARTA) |
| Established | 1887 |
| Location | Taranto, Apulia |
| Type | Archaeological museum |
| Collection size | extensive |
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto (MARTA) is a national archaeological museum located in Taranto in the region of Apulia on the Ionian Sea. Founded in the late 19th century, the museum preserves material from the ancient Greek colonization and the indigenous cultures of Magna Graecia, as well as artifacts from Roman and Byzantine Empire periods. MARTA is housed in a complex of historic buildings and serves as a center for archaeological research, conservation, and public exhibitions in southern Italy.
The museum's origins date to the post-unification era when the Kingdom of Italy initiated state collections and archaeological inventories under figures linked to the Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica and later the Direzione Generale per gli Scavi e le Antichità. Early excavations in the territory of Tarentum involved scholars associated with the Accademia dei Lincei and antiquarians influenced by the collections of the Museo Nazionale Romano and the British Museum. The institution expanded after archaeological campaigns led by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio and collaborations with universities such as the University of Bari and the University of Naples Federico II. During the 20th century MARTA acquired finds from systematic excavations at sites like Saturo, Monte Sannace, and rural necropoleis tied to the Tarentines and Messapii. Post-World War II restorations involved partnerships with the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali and international bodies including the International Council of Museums.
MARTA's collections encompass ceramics, metalwork, sculpture, jewelry, and epigraphic material from contexts linked to Ionian Greek colonies, Lucania, and Peucezia. Highlights include grave goods from aristocratic tombs, votive offerings from sanctuaries, and urban architectural fragments from the ancient polis of Taras. The numismatic cabinet contains issues from Tarentum struck alongside coins from Syracuse, Cumae, Croton, and Hellenistic mints associated with the Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt. Epigraphic panels and stelae document dedications to deities venerated in Magna Graecia such as Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, and local cultic forms. Restoration laboratories at MARTA maintain ceramic conservation linked to protocols used by the Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione e il Restauro.
The museum houses emblematic artifacts from Magna Graecia including red-figure and black-figure vases attributed to workshops related to Athenian vase painting, itinerant craftsmen associated with Laconia, and regional schools akin to Apulian vase painting. Significant metalwork comprises helmets, armor, and weapons paralleling finds from Gravina in Puglia and Metaponto. Funerary assemblages reflect burial customs comparable to those documented at Banditaccia Necropolis and sites excavated under the direction of archaeologists from the British School at Rome. Inscriptions in Ancient Greek and Latin illustrate civic institutions, colonization charters, and patronage networks involving families recorded in municipal archives of Taranto and administrative records preserved at the Archivio di Stato di Taranto.
Permanent galleries are organized by chronological and thematic criteria showcasing objects from the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman phases. Signature exhibits include ornate gold jewelry contemporaneous with finds from Troy and comparable to pieces in the Louvre and National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Large-scale sculptures and portraiture sit alongside architectural elements evocative of sanctuaries such as those at Metapontum and Selinunte. Vitrines display imported amphorae from Massalia and Phoenicia, while didactic panels reference research by scholars affiliated with École française de Rome and publications in journals like the Journal of Hellenic Studies.
MARTA occupies a complex comprised of historic structures including former ecclesiastical and civic buildings consolidated into a museum campus during the 19th and 20th centuries. The layout integrates exhibition halls, storage depots, and conservation laboratories in a manner comparable to adaptive reuse projects at the British Museum and the Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Napoli. Recent campaigns for seismic retrofitting and museographic renewal were implemented in collaboration with the Comune di Taranto and funding frameworks administered by the European Union regional development initiatives and Italian cultural heritage directives.
The museum undertakes research projects with institutions such as the University of Salento, the University of Bari Aldo Moro, and international partners including the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Conservation programs address ceramic, metal, and organic remains using methods developed by the Getty Conservation Institute and standards from the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). Temporary exhibitions have featured loans from the Vatican Museums, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, and private collections, while educational outreach collaborates with schools governed by the Ministero dell'Istruzione and cultural associations like FAI.
MARTA is accessible from the historic center of Taranto and connected by regional transport links serving Apulia including rail services of Trenitalia and regional roads. Visitor services include guided tours, publications from the museum press, and facilities aligned with accessibility standards promoted by the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e per il Turismo. Ticketing, opening hours, and special events are coordinated with municipal cultural calendars and national initiatives such as the Giornate Europee del Patrimonio.
Category:Museums in Apulia Category:Archaeological museums in Italy