Description of the attraction
The National Archaeological Museum of Umbria is located in Perugia in the building of the former Dominican monastery of San Domenico. In 1790, the local aristocrat Francesco Filippo Fridgeri donated his collection of rare things to the city, which laid the foundation for the museum. Later, the museum's collections were expanded several times: for example, in 1921 he acquired the prehistoric and paleontological collection of Bellucci, and in 1948 finds from archaeological excavations in the town of Cetona, near Siena, were exhibited here.
Today, in the halls of the museum, you can see various Paleolithic and Eneolithic objects, found mainly in Umbria and dated to the Bronze and Iron Ages. They belonged to the first inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula, who appeared here in the 16-12 centuries BC.
The Etruscan collection is of particular importance. It dates from the so-called Villanova period (9-8 centuries BC). Here you can also see richly decorated artifacts from the graves of the Hellenic period: urns, sarcophagi, vases, objects made of gold and bronze, and weapons.
The real gem of the museum is the so-called "Chippo di Perugia" 3-2 centuries BC. Is the longest Etruscan inscription ever discovered. It is a boundary mark with the announcement between the Veltina and Afun families on the delimitation of land ownership.
In addition, the Archaeological Museum displays a collection of objects brought from Africa, as well as ethnic artifacts collected by the Perugian naturalist and explorer Orazio Antinori.
The former convent of San Domenico also houses the State Archives, which houses a library that belonged to the Dominican monks. It consists of manuscripts, some of which are illustrated, dated 991-1851, and various church documents.
