MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO NAZIONALE (MARTA)
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The most important museum in southern Italy after Naples
After that of Naples, it is the most important museum of southern Italy and one of the most interesting archaeological museums of the peninsula. The National Archaeological Museum of Taranto, also known as MArTA, has occupied the premises of the former convent of the Alcantarini since 1887.
After extensive restoration work, a new exhibition route was inaugurated in July 2016. Now very well laid out, this elegant museum illustrates, in particular, the history of Taranto within Greater Greece. It is divided into three sections: the prehistoric period, the classical period and the necropolises. It features painted terracotta (the world's largest collection of Greek terracotta figurines) from various places of worship in the city, including the "tanagrine", dancing female figures. One of the most attractive elements of these collections is the goldsmith's art. The gold jewellery, rings, bracelets, tiaras, pendants, earrings and laurel wreaths of the same metal are exceptional. Also not to be missed is the bronze statue of Zeus, dating from the 6th century BC, found in Ugento, a Messapian city. But the museum's most evocative historical treasures in the region are its remarkable collections of ceramics, imported from Greece or locally produced: Panathenaic black-figure amphorae, Laconian cups decorated with dolphins, Apulian ceramics...
