The National Archaeological Museum

Address:
Cittadella dei Musei
Piazza Arsenale - Cagliari city
Tel. +39 070 655911 - + 39 070/60518245 (tickets)

The museum boasts a vast selection of relics from various ancient civilisations, among which an exceptional collection of bronzes dating back to the Nuragic civilisation. There are also numerous relics from all over the island, particularly from the regions of Sarrabus-Gerrei, Marmilla, Trexenta, Campidano, Sulcis-Iglesiente, Oristanese, Barigadu and Montiferru. These relics can be traced back to Phoenician and Punic times, as well as to the Roman era.

On display are artefacts from the early Neolithic age (Su Carroppu - Sirri - Carbonia) and from the First Bronze Eneolithc. There are the votive artefacts of Su Benatzu in Santadi, santa Vittoria in Serri, Sant'Anastasia in Sardara, Sianeddu in Cabras and Molinu in Villanovafranca. Furthermore there is important figurative bronze art, in particular the art from Abini in Teti and Santa Vittoria in Serri which represents various figurative themes and magical rituals.

The tophet of Tharros is evocatively reconstructed to represent the Phoenician-Punic period. It shows an expanse of sand on which there are cinerary urns, cippus and ritual stele of the sacred purification area. From the Roman period there are black ceramics, thin ceramic vases and everyday ceramics. From the Roman city of Olbia there are the effigies of the Nerone and Traiano emperors, a marble urn and the cinerary urn of Claudia Calliste.

There is also the famous boundary stone from Cuglieri with the mention of Huddaddar populations.
From the late-ancient period (IV-V century A.D.), when the ties between Sardinia and Africa became stronger, there are clay ceramics, oil lamps richly decorated with Christian symbols and everyday ceramics. Bronze, silver and gold jewels and ornamental exhibits from the late Medieval funerary art from various Sardinian sites are also on display.
Among the didactic exhibits in this Museum are the models of a single tower nuraghe, nuragic tomb and the reconstruction of a Phoenician tomb from Bithia in Domusdemaria.