The Museum of the Etruscan Rock Necropolis gets a makeover with a new layout

New display for the Archaeological Museum of the Rock Necropolis in Barbarano Romano (Viterbo) will be presented on Monday, October 7, 2019, at 3:30 p.m. in the Sala Sant’Angelo. The first scientific exhibit dates back more than two decades with the display of numerous archaeological remains from the burial grounds of the ancient center of San Giuliano. The museum has now been renovated, but at the center of the project is still the relationship with the Marturanum Regional Park, in which the rock-faced necropolis carved into the tuff fits harmoniously. This is a unique phenomenon in the West that makes visible the Etruscan architecture of Tuscia Viterbese. The area becomes remarkably evocative thanks to the rock necropolis of San Giuliano, an environmental and cultural-historical heritage that has remained intact.

The museum tour is an archaeological walk among the places that have marked the ancient history of San Giuliano, from the Villanovan formation of the settlement to the flourishing Etruscan phase, from the Roman conquest to the medieval fortification, retraced through the most significant objects from the excavations that began in the early twentieth century. Among the most relevant funerary monuments are the Tumulus Cima, the Tomb of the Obelisk and the Tomb of the Deer, whose grave goods brought together for the occasion reinforce the unity of the context.

The aim of the new layout is to promote research, protection and enhancement of the area from a historical perspective.

The museum is therefore complementary to and in close relation with the external excursions, especially the itineraries through the rock necropolis and the hollow ways that have fascinated visitors of all times.

The project was supported by the Lazio Region with the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Metropolitan Area of Rome, the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria with the participation of Baylor-University-Texas, which is offering a selection of archaeological materials from recent Etruscan and medieval excavations at San Giuliano on display.

Image: portico tombs at Barbarano Romano.

The Museum of the Etruscan Rock Necropolis gets a makeover with a new layout

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.