National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide
The ancient colony of Sibari arose in the centre of the vast alluvial plain surrounded by the Pollino and the last foothills of the Sila Greca, crossed by the rivers Crati and Sybaris (today’s Coscile).
Here in the 7th century BC. C. the Achaeans founded a city destined to become one of the most powerful and prosperous in Magna Graecia.
Over the centuries, three cities arose on this site: Sibari, Thuri, Copia. Important remains of these are today preserved at the Sibaritide Museum and at the Archaeological Park. The Museum houses and exhibits archaeological documents from the Sibaritide area, the area that since ancient times has gravitated around the city of Sibari.
From prehistory to Roman civilization, up to Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, research has returned important evidence of this area. The emblem of the city of Sibari is the bull; a figure chosen in ancient coinage, the standing bull, with its head turned backward, still identifies the Museum today.
The “bumping bull” is undoubtedly the most evocative find. The initial architectural project was developed based on the potential for progressive availability of knowledge, artifacts, and funding, assuming the modularity of the building volumes and the flexibility and functionality of the spaces as essential characteristics.
The building, approximately 4,000 square meters spread over two levels, consists of a central core that organizes the museum’s spaces and routes, four exhibition spaces, and a service building. In addition to the exhibition spaces, the project also includes spaces for the many administrative and scientific activities typical of a museum: storage rooms for excavation material, studios, restoration, drawing, and photography laboratories, reserve storage for unexhibited artifacts, offices, and control rooms.
The building complex, completed in September 1992, is currently operational for administrative, research, study, restoration, and conservation functions. On February 11, 2017, the new museum modules built with PON funding were handed over to the National Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide, along with the Archaeological Park. These resources, earmarked for repairing the damage caused by the Crati River flooding in 2012, have enabled the design of a museum that is not only larger, enhanced with a new module, but also more modern, thanks to the construction of a new warehouse and spaces for multimedia displays. The new layout is currently under construction. The Archaeological Park, restored to its former glory with PON funding, features a new reception and ticket office building, and new visitor routes through the areas of most recently discovered archaeological sites.
Fonte: www.musei.beniculturali.it
