National Archaeological Museum, Naples Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Naples National Archaeological Museum
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli
Façade of the museum
Established	1777
Location	Piazza Museo 19, Naples, Italy
Type	archaeology
Collections	Romans, Greeks, Egyptians
Visitors	500.000 (2017)
Public transit access	Fermata Museo (Metropolitana linea 1) Fermata Piazza Cavour (Metropolitana linea 2)

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples, often called MANN, is a super important museum in Italy. It's famous for its amazing collection of ancient Roman items. You can also find incredible pieces from Greek and Roman times here. Many of the Roman treasures come from the ancient cities of Pompeii, Stabiae, and Herculaneum. These cities were buried by the volcano Mount Vesuvius. For a while, from 1816 to 1861, the museum was known as the "Royal Bourbon Museum."

About the Museum Building
Amazing Collections
Gallery
See also

About the Museum Building

The building where the museum stands today was first built in 1585. It was originally a place for cavalry, which means it housed soldiers who rode horses. Later, from 1616 to 1777, it became the home of the University of Naples. When it became a museum in the 19th century, the building changed a lot to fit its new purpose.

Amazing Collections

The museum has huge collections of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts. Many of these come from the famous Farnese Collection. This collection includes beautiful engraved gems, like the Farnese Cup. This cup is a special bowl made from a type of stone called sardonyx agate. It was collected by important people like Cosimo de' Medici and Lorenzo il Magnifico way back in the 1400s. The museum also has the Menologium Rusticum, which is an ancient Roman calendar. You can also see the Herculaneum papyri, which are ancient scrolls. These scrolls were turned to charcoal by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and were found in the Villa of the Papyri after 1752.

Famous Marbles

Most of the museum's ancient sculptures come from the Farnese Marbles. These are very important because they are Roman copies of older Greek sculptures. Sometimes, these copies are the only way we know what lost works by famous Greek sculptors looked like. Some of the biggest sculptures have been moved to the Museo di Capodimonte for display.

Here are some of the most famous marble sculptures:

The Farnese Hercules: This huge statue helped create the image of the hero Hercules that many people imagine.
The Farnese Atlas: This is the oldest known statue of Atlas from Greek stories. It also shows the oldest view of the stars in the Western sky.
The Farnese Bull: Many people think this is the largest single sculpture ever found from ancient times.
The group Harmodius and Aristogeiton: This is a Roman copy of a bronze statue that once stood in the Agora (marketplace) of Athens.
The Aphrodite Kallipygos: A beautiful statue of the goddess Aphrodite.
The Farnese Artemis: Another Roman copy of an original Greek artwork.
A collection of busts, which are sculptures of the heads and shoulders of Roman emperors.
Other Roman sculptures that once stood in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome.

Bronzes from the Villa of the Papyri

The museum has a large collection of ancient Roman bronze statues. These were found in the Villa of the Papyri. Some of these amazing bronzes include:

The Seated Hermes: A statue of the messenger god Hermes.
A Drunken Satyr: A statue of a satyr, a mythical creature, looking like he's had too much to drink.
A bust of Thespis: A statue of the ancient Greek actor.
Another bust that might be Seneca or Hesiod.
A pair of very lively statues of runners.

The Alexander Mosaic, showing Alexander the Great in battle.

Heron and cobra. An ancient Roman fresco from the House of Epigrammes, Pompeii (45–79 AD).

Amazing Mosaics

The museum's Mosaic Collection has many important mosaics. These colorful artworks are made from tiny pieces of stone or glass. They were found in the ruins of Pompeii and other cities buried by Mount Vesuvius. One of the most famous is the Alexander Mosaic. It was made around 100 BC and came from the House of the Faun in Pompeii. It shows a big battle between the armies of Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia. Another mosaic shows a gladiatorial fighter. This one was found in the Villa of the Figured Capitals in Pompeii.

Ancient Egyptian Collection

With about 2,500 objects, the museum has one of the biggest collections of Egyptian artifacts in Italy. Only museums in Turin, Florence, and Bologna have larger ones. This collection mostly comes from two private collections. One was put together by Cardinal Stefano Borgia in the late 1700s. The other was collected by Picchianti in the early 1800s. These two main parts of the collection are now shown separately in the museum. Other Egyptian items from Pompeii and nearby areas are also on display. The collection helps us learn a lot about Egyptian civilization. It covers a long period, from the Old Kingdom (around 2700-2200 BC) up to the time when Romans ruled Egypt.

Gallery

Fish Catalogue mosaic
Fish and ducks, Roman mosaic
'Cave canem' (beware of the dog) mosaic
Achilles giving Briseis to Agamemnon, from the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii, a fresco from the 1st century AD.
The Menologium Rusticum Colotianum, an ancient Roman almanac.