Pigorini Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography, Rome

The Pigorini Museum is also known as the National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography of Rome. The museum got its name in honor of the founder – the famous Italian paleoethnographer and archaeologist Luigi Pigorini. The museum is situated in the complex of business buildings in the central part of Rome. The museum was opened in 1876 within the walls of the building of the Roman College, now it houses the Museo Kircheriano. Between 1962 and 1977, a new building of the Pigorini Museum was built and handed over to the city administration, in which the Pigorini Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography of Rome is located today.

The main purpose of the creation of the new museum was the desire to illustrate the Italian prehistoric objects to modern residents and analyze the periods of the development of culture.

Exposition of the Pigorini Museum

Since 1994, the collection of the Pigorini Museum has been divided into two thematic exhibitions: the pre-history and early history of Italian culture, as well as the non-European culture of indigenous peoples.

Currently, the exposition is located in several halls of the museum complex:

• The ethnographic sector is on the first floor. The collection contains finds that illustrate the main periods of exploration of the continent from 1434 to 1488, as well as many artifacts and artistic values.
• Culture of Meso-America and Western America.
• The section of the history of the oceans contains many exhibits that were collected by travelers in the late 19th century. The collection is placed in such a way, as to illustrate the history of certain regions.
• Paleoethnological section is presented by a great exhibition area that contains a story about the searching methods of prehistoric facts, as well as the main stages of human evolution.

The gem of the museum collection is the exhibits of the Neolithic, Eneolithic and even Bronze and Iron Ages. Some of the exhibits are of the Aegean Sea origin.

How to get there

The Pigorini Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography of Rome is located on Piazza Guglielmo Marconi. You can get here by public transport: metro – line B, bus № 30, 703, 714, 717, 764, 780, 791 (stop – EUR Fermi).

Opening hours:

• Tuesday – Sunday (from 09:00 to 18:00);
• Monday – closed.