Wow, what a cool place. After reading a few reviews online, I was not expecting to see as many unique pieces as I did. In fact, I though I may even leave underwhelmed. Luckily, I had the complete opposite experience. The Archaeology Museum of Split is definitely worth a visit if you have a few hours to spare.
Getting There
The museum is in my neighbourhood, on Zrinjsko-Frankopanska 25, so I only had a short walk. It is easy to find, a large impressive stone building right on the street that consumes an entire block. You will pass through a metal gate at the front and cross the courtyard to purchase you ticket from inside. The cost is €8 at the time of writing.
The Interior
Visitors have access to the main floor only. For me, this area was uneventful. The displays are in cases, they focus on the Avar and Naselja settlements, and frankly there isn’t a lot to see. The best part is a large display case front and centre that contains the bones of a rider and his horse that were buried together, which was tradition for this tribe.
The Exterior
Probably 95% of the artifacts are housed outside in corridors that wrap around three sides of the courtyard. And let me tell you, if you are a lover of ancient Roman anything and everything, you will be amazed.
All of these artifacts are large limestone and marble pieces, mostly from the ancient Roman ruins of Salona.
Salona was the city where Diocletian was born. It was at its peak from the 3rd to the 7th century AD. I visited the ruins last week and was absolutely blown away by them. Not only did I have access to the entire site to climb and explore. But there was virtually no one else there.
And the entire time I was in the museum? You guessed it, by myself. Not a single other sole except for the staff. Amazing.
The Antiquities
This section of the post might be a photo dump. I took so many pictures because I was amazed by everything I saw. To say there was a lot of items is an understatement. The number was vast. There were mosaic floors and decorative pieces. Sarcophagi, from quite plain to heavily carved and ornate. Columns, statues, and many, many headstones. Decorative pieces from altars, reliefs, frescoes, it was endless.
Most items were filthy. They were covered in a thick coating of dark grey dust. However, starting at one end, the staff were in the process of pressure washing the entire exhibit. Yes, pressure washing. They had just begun, here is a before and after.
Virtually all of my photo’s have unwashed objects, so if you are visiting anytime from now on, you will see a much brighter and cleaner exhibit space.
Mosaics
I love mosaics so much; they really fascinate me. In this museum were three large floor pieces, perhaps 12 feet by 12 feet if not larger.
A smaller exquisite piece made of tiny glass mosaic tiles was so beautiful and I couldn’t stop looking at it. It measures approx. 3 feet by 2 feet.
Sarcophagi
Wow, these are huge. When you are able to stand beside one, you really begin to feel how impressive these are. There are many to see but two in particular stand out for the front face carving alone.
Gladiators Urns
My absolutely favourite part! I have never seen these before nor had I heard of such a thing. All of these urns were found surrounding the amphitheatre in Salona. They are miniature sarcophagi!
You may have already read my post about that and seen how beautiful it is. Well, all of these were buried around it. How magnificent. To give you an idea of size, each rectangular box was approximately 18” x 14” x 12” if I had to guess an average.
The round ones were probably 16” high by 12” across. Absolutely amazing.
Lead Sarcophagi
Yes lead. I have never ever seen these before or read about them either. It was terrific to be able to see them. I should also say, none of this was roped off. I was able to approach each and every single thing, touch it, look closely at it and marvel. Incredible.
Everything Else
A photo dump of other objects of such beauty I couldn’t help but photograph.
I’m trying to keep this post short, so I’ll end here. Being a lover of all things ancient, and marvelling at the ingenuity of the ancient human, I was enthralled in this museum. It is nothing short of amazing.
