Archaeological Museums

An Archaeological Museum is an institution with collections that include artifacts shaped by humans that are of historical or cultural interest.

Examples of artifacts include tools, pottery, metal objects, weapons, remains from historic sites and structures plus items of personal adornment such as jewelry or death masks.

A primary role of Archaeological Museums is to improve our understanding of the lives of our ancestors.

Most museums artifacts stand out for their uniqueness, their intrigue, their beauty, and their ability to expand our knowledge of our history.

Artifacts come from many different archaeological contexts, such as:

• Burial sites
• Middens or old dump for human occupational waste
• Votive offerings
• Hoards lost in time
• Wells or caves
• Historical places that have been abandoned or buried due to a natural disaster or war
• Excavations of Historical sites
• Remains from historic sites and structures

Ancient artifacts from the past help to shed light on the lives of our ancestors and cultural heritage.

A Virtual Tour of Archaeological Museums

• United States

  •  Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park
  • University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
  • Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
  • The Legion of Honor
  • The MET Cloisters
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art – MET

• Greece

  • National Archaeological Museum, Athens
  • The Acropolis Museum, Athens
  • Syntagma Metro Station Archaeological Collection, Athens
  • Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
  • Delphi Archaeological Museum
  • Archaeological Museum of Mycenae
  • Archaeological Museum of Delos
  • Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth
  • Delphi Archaeological Museum
  • Archaeological Museum of Olympia
  • Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

• Italy

  • The Archaeological Civic Museum (MCA) of Bologna
  • Capitoline Museums, Rome
  • Vatican Museums, Vatican City
  • National Archaeological Museum, Naples

• Britain

  • British Museum, London
  • Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
  • National Museum of Scotland
  • Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
  • Roman Baths
  • “National Roman Legion Museum” and “Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths”

• Paris

  • Louvre, Paris
  • Musée National du Moyen Age – Thermes De Cluny (National Museum of Medieval Art)

• Italy

  • The Vatican Museums
  • Capitoline Museums
  • National Roman Museum

• Germany

  • The Pergamon Museum
  • Neues Museum
  • Altes Museum
  • Bode Museum

• Egypt

  • Egyptian Museum, Egypt

• Turkey

  • İstanbul Archaeology Museums

• Russia

  • Hermitage Museum

• China

  • The National Museum of China
  • Shanghai Museum
  • Nanjing Museum

• Japan

  • Tokyo National Museum
  •  

• Singapore

  • Asian Civilisations Museum

• India

  • National Museum, New Delhi

• Thailand

  • Bangkok National Museum

• Jakarta

  • National Museum of Indonesia
  • Jakarta History Museum

• Cambodia

  • Angkor Wat

•  

• Canada

  • Royal Ontario Museum

• Mexico

  • Mexico City Museums

• Colombia

  • Bogotá Museums
  • Botero Museum

• Brazil

  • Museu Nacional de Belas Artes

• Chile

  • Santiago Museums

• Argentina

  • Buenos Aires Museums

~~~

“Archaeology is about facts….
Forget any ideas you’ve got about lost cities,
exotic travel, and digging up the world.
We do not follow maps to buried treasure,
and X never ever marks the spot.” 
– Indiana Jones

~~~

---

Photo Credit: JOM