The National Archaeological Museum, a journey through history

Very close to the Plaza de Colón and sharing a building with the National Library we find the National Archaeological Museum, an impressive museum that dates back to 1867.

It has recently been reopened after a few years closed for improvement works, and it houses a large archaeological, numismatic and ethnographic collection from the collections that different Spanish monarchs had formed.

This museum takes a tour of different periods of the history and culture of Spain and here we are going to tell you what to see in it and other practical information.

Visit the National Archaeological Museum

After the reform of the Archaeological Museum, which has lasted 5 years, the museum has gained great popularity.

And it is not for less, since thanks to it we can take a tour of the history of Spain thanks to its 10,000 square meters of exhibition.

And although his most famous work is the Lady of Elche, in this museum there are other pieces that deserve our full attention.

The museum is divided into zones classified by the historical period to which their works belong.

The tour of the museum can begin on the ground floor where the section dedicated to Prehistory and the origins of humanity is located, where we will find numerous objects from the Paleolithic or Neolithic and we will learn how metals were used and the evolution of the human being in this era.

The visit to the Archaeological Museum continues on the first floor where the areas of Protohistory are located, the time from which the first writings date, Roman Hispania, Late Antiquity and Al-Andalus,

In the Protohistory area we will find the great masterpiece of the Archaeological Museum, the Lady of Elche, and also another lesser-known but equally important work, the Lady of Baza. We can also highlight the statues of Livia or Antonino Pío.

On the second floor are the rest of the historical areas such as Greece, the medieval Christian Kingdoms, the Modern Age or Egypt.

Although before reaching these areas, on the mezzanine, you can enjoy the collection of coins and banknotes in the area dedicated to numismatics.

On the second floor, the most important works are the Coffin of Taremetchenbastet, the Dome of Torrijos or the Roman Charity.

In any case, each visitor will have their favorite works and in this museum there are more than 1 million works of art, which makes it one of the most important museums in the world.

By the way, don’t miss the replica of the Altamira Caves that is attached to the main building of the National Archaeological Museum.

You can find more information on the official MAN website.