National Archaeological Museum
The idea of an archaeological museum takes shape in Siena between the late 19th century and the early 20th century, within those institutions that, due to various circumstances, had seen the formation of small nuclei of antiquities. The scientific planning of the museum was carried out in the 1920s by the young Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli. The museum takes shape in the premises of Via della Sapienza, where between 1931 and 1933 the materials from the Accademia dei Fisiocritici (finds from the city and the Mieli collection, donated to the Municipality of Siena in 1882) and the Bargagli collection of Sarteano, transferred to Siena in August 1931, are set up.
The establishment of the Royal Archaeological Museum dates to October 7, 1941.
The archaeological heritage continues to increase in the following years: in 1951, the collection of Bonaventura Chigi Zondadari is donated to the state; two years later, the same acquires the collection of Emilio Bonci Casuccini, valuable documentation of the Chiusi archaeology. In the second half of the 20th century, the museum expands due to fortuitous finds from the territory and excavations conducted by the Superintendency.
At the end of the 1980s, the museum is transferred to the inside of Santa Maria della Scala: here, it occupies the premises that open at the corner of the hospital, the ancient women’s pilgrim house, and some adjacent spaces. In 2001, the museum undergoes its last transfer to the rooms located at the lowest level of Santa Maria (I-II), consisting of tunnels dug into sandstone and spacious areas built of bricks.
The idea of an archaeological museum takes shape in Siena between the late 19th century and the early 20th century, within those institutions that, due to various circumstances, had seen the formation of small nuclei of antiquities. The scientific planning of the museum was carried out in the 1920s by the young Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli. The museum takes shape in the premises of Via della Sapienza, where between 1931 and 1933 the materials from the Accademia dei Fisiocritici (finds from the city and the Mieli collection, donated to the Municipality of Siena in 1882) and the Bargagli collection of Sarteano, transferred to Siena in August 1931, are set up.
The establishment of the Royal Archaeological Museum dates to October 7, 1941.
The archaeological heritage continues to increase in the following years: in 1951, the collection of Bonaventura Chigi Zondadari is donated to the state; two years later, the same acquires the collection of Emilio Bonci Casuccini, valuable documentation of the Chiusi archaeology. In the second half of the 20th century, the museum expands due to fortuitous finds from the territory and excavations conducted by the Superintendency.
At the end of the 1980s, the museum is transferred to the inside of Santa Maria della Scala: here, it occupies the premises that open at the corner of the hospital, the ancient women’s pilgrim house, and some adjacent spaces. In 2001, the museum undergoes its last transfer to the rooms located at the lowest level of Santa Maria (I-II), consisting of tunnels dug into sandstone and spacious areas built of bricks.
The idea of an archaeological museum began to take shape in Siena between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, within those institutions that, due to various circumstances, had seen the formation of small collections of antiquities. The scientific planning of the museum was carried out in the 1920s by the young Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli. The museum began to take form in the premises on Via della Sapienza, where between 1931 and 1933, materials from the Accademia dei Fisiocritici (findings from the city and the Mieli collection, donated to the Municipality of Siena in 1882) and the Bargagli di Sarteano collection, transferred to Siena in August 1931, were displayed. The establishment of the Royal Archaeological Museum dates back to October 7, 1941. The archaeological collection continued to grow in the following years: in 1951, the collection of Bonaventura Chigi Zondadari was donated to the state; two years later, the state acquired the collection of Emilio Bonci Casuccini, which provided valuable documentation of the archaeology of Chiusi. In the second half of the 20th century, the museum expanded thanks to accidental discoveries from the surrounding area and excavations carried out by the Superintendence. In the late 1980s, the museum was transferred to the Santa Maria della Scala complex, occupying the spaces at the corner of the hospital, the ancient women's pilgrim area, and some adjacent rooms. In 2001, the museum was moved once more to the lowest levels of the Santa Maria (I-II), consisting of tunnels carved into sandstone and large brick-built spaces.
Artworks
Head of the so-called Pseudo-Seneca
The head was found accidentally in 1930 in Siena, on via Mascagni, during the construction of the Hygiene laboratory. The portrait depicts an elderly man with an emaciated face, lined with deep wrinkles and covered by a light beard; his hair is arranged in disordered tufts starting from the vortex at the nape. The type is known in the Roman world from a significant number of replicas. The incorrect identification with Seneca, categorically refuted by the nineteenth-century discovery of an inscribed portrait of the philosopher, is attributed to Fulvio Orsini in the Imagines et elogia virorum illustrium (1578). Since the nineteenth century, there have been numerous proposals for identification, mostly directed towards the most important Greek poets such as Museo, Tespi, Archilochus, Euripides, Theocritus, Homer, Aristophanes, Aesop. The emaciated and neglected appearance of the type has led, even recently, to the suggestion of the quintessential peasant poet, Hesiod. While the identity of the figure remains uncertain, the original from which the series of Roman copies is derived seems more defined, likely being a portrait created in the late 2nd century BC. The Sienese copy can be dated to the 1st century AD.
The head was found accidentally in 1930 in Siena, on via Mascagni, during the construction of the Hygiene laboratory. The portrait depicts an elderly man with an emaciated face, lined with deep wrinkles and covered by a light beard; his hair is arranged in disordered tufts starting from the vortex at the nape. The type is known in the Roman world from a significant number of replicas. The incorrect identification with Seneca, categorically refuted by the nineteenth-century discovery of an inscribed portrait of the philosopher, is attributed to Fulvio Orsini in the Imagines et elogia virorum illustrium (1578). Since the nineteenth century, there have been numerous proposals for identification, mostly directed towards the most important Greek poets such as Museo, Tespi, Archilochus, Euripides, Theocritus, Homer, Aristophanes, Aesop. The emaciated and neglected appearance of the type has led, even recently, to the suggestion of the quintessential peasant poet, Hesiod. While the identity of the figure remains uncertain, the original from which the series of Roman copies is derived seems more defined, likely being a portrait created in the late 2nd century BC. The Sienese copy can be dated to the 1st century AD.
Urn of Larth Sentinate Cumere
The urn, belonging to the family tomb of the Sentinate Cumere, shows the deceased semi-reclining on the kline. On the coffin is a representation of the recognition between the two brothers, the sons of Agamemnon, Iphigenia, and Orestes in Tauris.
The urn, belonging to the family tomb of the Sentinate Cumere, shows the deceased semi-reclining on the kline. On the coffin is a representation of the recognition between the two brothers, the sons of Agamemnon, Iphigenia, and Orestes in Tauris.
Urn of the tomb of the Sentinate Cumere
The urn, belonging to the tomb of the Sentinate Cumere, features a recumbent male figure on its lid. The scene depicted on the chest has been interpreted in various ways: the traditional interpretation of two warriors supported by companions as a representation of the dying Eteocles and Polynices has been questioned due to the presence of the lightning bolt.
The urn, belonging to the tomb of the Sentinate Cumere, features a recumbent male figure on its lid. The scene depicted on the chest has been interpreted in various ways: the traditional interpretation of two warriors supported by companions as a representation of the dying Eteocles and Polynices has been questioned due to the presence of the lightning bolt.
Heavy bucchero amphora
The amphora, reddish-brown in color ('red bucchero'), comes from a tomb discovered in the locality of Querce al Pino, Chiusi. The body of the vase is decorated with a stamped band featuring sphinxes facing left, while the shoulder is adorned with seed pod shapes with hanging drops. On the rim, aligned with the handles, are plastic female heads. The tomb's grave goods also included another similar amphora and two hydrias.
The amphora, reddish-brown in color ('red bucchero'), comes from a tomb discovered in the locality of Querce al Pino, Chiusi. The body of the vase is decorated with a stamped band featuring sphinxes facing left, while the shoulder is adorned with seed pod shapes with hanging drops. On the rim, aligned with the handles, are plastic female heads. The tomb's grave goods also included another similar amphora and two hydrias.