The origin of Turin’s archaeological collections dates back to the acquisition campaigns promoted by Emanuele Filiberto and his son Charles Emmanuel I between the 16th and 17th centuries to bring together a prestigious nucleus of ancient sculptures and reliefs in Turin.
In 1723, demolitions in the center of Turin brought to light numerous vestiges of the ancient Augusta Taurinorum, and important archaeological proof was added to the original nucleus of the Savoy collection. The enrichment continued during the 19th century, partly due to the spread of archaeological research and the activities of international diplomats and chancellor’s offices. Territorial research has been the main carrier of the enrichment of the archaeological heritage in the 20th and 21st centuries, although there has been no lack of donations or acquisitions that embellish the collections that are now part of the Musei Reali.
IThe museum is divided into three sections. In the Archaeological Gallery are the historical collections; in the basement of the New Wing, adjacent to the ruins of the Roman theatre, is the Archaeology in Turin section. Finally, there is the Piedmont Archaeology Pavilion, housed since 1998 in a luminous hypogeal space that links the New Wing and the greenhouses of the Royal Palace, with an articulate repertoire of archaeological evidence ranging from Prehistory to the Late Middle Ages.
DEPOSITS
The Museum of Antiquities has Deposits equipped with a Study Room reserved for research and documentation activities, a Washing Room for cleaning and drying archaeological material and a Restoration Laboratory. If you are a scholar and are interested in accessing these premises, read the Regulations.
The start of the Serre Reali construction site has led to the following changes:
– the access route to the Study Room must take place through the ground floor of the New
Wing of the Royal Palace (for further information write to
mr-to.salastudioantichita@cultura.gov.it
– access to the Depot area by vehicle is no longer allowed
– the photographic laboratory has been dismantled
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN PHOTOS
VISIT OTHER SECTIONS OF THE MUSEUM COMPLEX
