Museum of Almería Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Museum of Almería
Museo Arqueológico de Almería

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Established	1934; in present location since 2006
Location	91, Carretera de Ronda, 04005 Almería, Andalusia, Spain
Type	Archaeological Museum
Visitors	55.617 (2012)

Stucco decorated with floral patterns from the Alcazaba of Almeria, 11th century

The Museum of Almería is a cool place in Almería, Spain, where you can explore ancient history! It's an archaeological museum, which means it shows off old things found from the past. It became a public museum in 1934 and moved to its modern building in 2006.

Discovering Ancient Almería
- What's Inside the Museum?
Exploring the Collections
The Museum Building
Images for kids
See also

Discovering Ancient Almería

The museum's story began with a Belgian engineer named Luis Siret. In 1880, he discovered an amazing ancient site called Los Millares in Almería. He found many old objects during his digs.

Luis Siret gave his collection to the National Archeological Museum in Madrid. But he really wanted some of the items to stay in Almería. This wish came true during the Second Spanish Republic. The museum first opened in 1934 in two small rooms. However, it didn't have all the pieces Luis Siret had hoped for. In 2006, the museum moved to its awesome new building.

What's Inside the Museum?

The new museum has three floors full of exciting exhibits. A special display called a stratigraphic column goes up through all three floors, reaching the roof! This column shows how archaeologists dig down through layers of soil to find older and older things.

The main exhibits focus on the Copper Age and Bronze Age history of the area. These were times when people first started using metals.

Exploring the Collections

The museum's main exhibits are found on the first and second floors. They teach us about different ancient societies that lived in Almería.

Permanent Exhibits

You can learn about:

Hunter-gatherer societies: These were people who hunted animals and gathered plants for food.
The Los Millares society: This important group lived near Santa Fe de Mondújar, Almería.
The El Argar culture: This society was centered around Antas, Almería.

On the second floor, you'll see a metal structure called the "Circle of Life." Around it are objects that tell us about trade and war in the Millares society. You can also see items from their daily lives.

Another display is the "Circle of Death." With videos, shadows, and sounds, it shows how people used shared graves and the special ceremonies they performed when someone was buried.

The second floor also has displays showing how people lived on hillsides. They built terraced homes, especially in places like Fuente-Álamo and Cuevas del Almanzora. You can see small rooms with glass cases holding large pots, bronze weapons, silver and gold items, and pottery.

Roman and Andalusian Treasures

On the third floor, there's a long-term exhibit of Roman and Andalusian artifacts. You can see a sculpture of the god Bacchus. This was found in a Roman villa in Chirivel, in northern Almería.

There's also a collection of Muslim tombstones from the Al-Andalus period. Almería was a major place for making these. In the middle of the room, cabinets display ceramics, toys, coins, and other small objects from these times.

More to See and Do

The museum also has a library that anyone can use. On the main floor, there's an area for temporary exhibits. Here, you might see paintings, modern art, or photography shows. There's also a large open space at the front of the museum for public use.

The Museum Building

In 2006, the museum moved into its new home. The building was designed by Ignacio García Pedrosa and Ángela García de Paredes. It's a very special building! It won two awards in 2004 (PAD and ARCO). It was also a finalist for the Fostering Arts and Design (FAD) Awards in 2005. In 2008, it even received an honorable mention from the European Museum of the Year Award contest.

Images for kids

Hall, with "Siret Cloud". Museum of Almería.
Model on archaeological methodology.
Stratigraphic column.
Assembly hall of the Museum of Almería.
Outside of the "Circle of Life" (Prehistoric Society Los Millares).
Inside of the "Circle of Life" (Prehistoric Society Los Millares).
"Circle of Death" (Prehistoric Society Los Millares).
Gallery devoted to prehistoric Society El Argar (2nd Floor).
The Model prehistoric Society El Argar.
Roman Society in Southeast Hispania. Trade in natural resources.
Al-Andalus (3rd floor).
Cemeteries in Al-Andalus (3rd floor).
Foundation of Almería (Al-Marilla).
Prehistoric Idol cruciform (Cantoria, Almería, Spain).
Prehistoric Idol alabaster (Rioja, Almería, Spain).
Flint arrowhead (Prehistoric Society of Los Millares. 3200-2250 BCE).
Necklace consisting of 59 shells. Dated to the Middle Neolithic (Vera, Almería, Spain).
Ivory comb found in the archaeological site of El Chuche (Benahadux, Almería). Dated between the 4th and 2nd centuries BCE.
Bowl from a tomb in the necropolis of Los Millares (Almería), one set of the most important Copper Age in Western Europe.
Bone Amulet Pendant. Prehistoric Society of Los Millares. 3200-2250 BCE (Santa Fe de Mondujar, Almería, Spain).
Idol oculado bone shaped horn (Prehistoric Society of Los Millares. 3200-2250 BCE).
Argárica Ceramic Cup. Found in El Ejido (Almería), comes from a burial. Bronze Age (1700-1300 BCE).
Gold bracelet. Prehistoric Society of El Argar (2250-1550 BCE).
Tulepa burnished argárica (Bronze Age, 2250-1550 BCE).
Roman Lucerne (206 BCE - 409).
Bronze ring with agate (located in Villaricos, Almería). Romanization (206 BCE - 409).
Fragment of a male sculpture in white marble for the left foot. High Roman Empire (Villaricos, Almería).
Bas-relief in marble, unique in Spain and in the Islamic West to represent human figures, Al-Andalus (11th century).
Toys paste by hand. Found Bayyana (Pechina, Almería). Al-Andalus (885-915).
Almahade clay jar (Almería, 1157-1238).