'Roman Lusitania: The origin of two cultures' at The National Archaeological Museum, Madrid
The National Archaeological Museum discovers, for first time in Madrid, the history of Lusitania; the Roman Province created 2000 years ago at the ‘finis terrarum’, the territory today occupied by Portugal, Estremadura and the western part of Andalusia.
Its capital, Augusta Emerita, was transformed into the most important settlement in the Western Façade of the Roman Empire and the first effective capital of the Iberian Peninsula after the administrative reform of Diocletian.
Reconstruction of Augusta Emerita [Credit: MAN]Structured into nine areas, the exhibition goes through five centuries of history in this Roman Province, one of the less known of the Western Empire, although the importance of its evolution, as much for its setting, at the very end of the known world, as the diversity of peoples that thrived there and the political meaning of its creation.
Roman bridge at Alcántara [Credit: MAN]Society, culture, economy and religion are reflected in the more than 200 objects exhibited, belonging to twelve Portuguese institutions and three Spanish, including four national museums, five regional and six local.
Bust of the Roman empereror Galienus [Credit: MAN]Between the collections are highlighted 15 objects of a great historical and archaeological value, classified by the Portuguese State as ‘National Treasures’, that, as an exception, had leaved the country for first time on the occasion of this exhibition, first to the National Roman Museum of Mérida and now at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid.
Funerary objects dating to the 1st century AD [Credit: Museo Nacional de Arte Romano – Mérida]`Roman Lusitania’ will show works of a great importance as the ‘arúla’ (small altar) of Endovellicus; the Arronches stela, an unique case of inscription in Lusitanian language; the fresco paintings of the Casa de Medusa, from Alter do Chão; the arm from the monumental bronze statue of Campo Maior; two intaglios found in the Medellin excavations.
Sarcophagus of the Seasons, 3rd centry AD [Credit: Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis – Porto]The exhibition show also the Sarcophagus of the Seasons form the National Museum of Soares dos Reis, as well as a varied set of bronzes from the site of Torre de Palma, belonging to the collection of the National Museum of Archaeology at Lisbon and the head of Gallienus, from the Museu Municipal of Lagos Dr. José Formosinho.
The exhibition will run until 16th October, 2016.
Source: Museo Arqueológico Nacional [July 10, 2016]
