Museo nazionale archeologico della Sibaritide

The ancient colony of Sibari stood at the centre of the vast alluvial plain surrounded by the Pollino and the last area of the Sila Greca, crossed by the rivers Crati and Sybaris (nowadays Coscile). Here in the 7th century to B.C. the Archaeans founded a city destined to become one of the most powerful and prosperous in Magna Graecia. On this site over the centuries three cities were stratified: Sibari, Thuri, Copia.Important vestiges of these cities are now displayed at the Sibaritide Museum and at the Archaeological Park.The museum houses and exhibits the archaeological documents of the Sibaritide, territory that from ancient times gravitated around the city of Sibari. From proto-history to Roman civilization, until the Middle Ages, research has revealed important testimonies of this area.The bull is the emblem of the city of Sybaris; it was chosen in the ancient coinage, the standing bull, with the head turned backwards, still identifies the Museum today. The “cozzante bull” is undoubtedly the most suggestive find. The first architectural project was developed on the basis of a possible progressive availability of knowledge, artefacts and funding, assuming the modularity of the building volumes and the flexibility — functionality of the spaces.The building, about 4,000 square meters, presents two levels, and it consists of a central nucleus that has the function of organizing the rooms and paths of the museum, of four exhibition units and of a service body. In addition to the exhibition spaces, there are: warehouses for material coming from excavations, studies, restoration laboratory, design and photographic laboratories, deposits, offices and control rooms. The building complex, completed in September 1992, is currently operational for administrative, research, study, restoration and conservation functions.On 11 February 2017, the new museum areas made thanks to the PON funding were delivered to the National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide, together with the Archaeological Park.These resources, destined to recover the damages caused by the flooding of the Crati in 2012, have allowed not only the design of a larger museum, but also of a modern new warehouse and spaces for multimedia stands.The new construction is nearing completion.The Archaeological Park recovered for use with the PON funding, presents the new ticketing building and new visit routes in the areas of more recent archaeological discovery.