Archaeological Museum

Use your Civic Archaeological Museum tickets to explore the Major Monastery here, which is the largest and the oldest female monastery in all of Milan. The foundation of the monastery is said to date all the way back to the late age, even before the 8th century. The monastery was formerly dedicated to Santa Maria, followed by San Maurizio from the 11th century, and thereafter became one of the city’s main monasteries in the centuries that followed. All that remains of the monastery is the church of San Maurizio and the entrance, both of which are part of the museum now.

Amongst the main attractions of the Archaeological Museum are the Roman Towers and the Archaeological Remains, a lot of which belong to the Roman era. Owing to its construction during the ancient roman civilisation, the museum has numerous features from those times, including the square tower, which was a part of the Roman circus. The tower was also used as a church bell tower, while another polygonal tower in the museum connected it to the city walls and was used as a chapel. Numerous remains from the bygone eras were also unearthed during the construction of the museum.

Don’t miss out on admiring the Polygonal Tower when you avail your Archaeological Museum tickets. This tower connected the structure to the Roman city walls and was also reused as a chapel in the later years after the construction of the museum. The tower stands on circular foundations made of mortar, brick and pebbles. When you head into the tower, you can find frescoes from the late 13th to early 14th centuries.

The Walls of the Imperial Age in the museum are the very first circle of walls that were built here between the Caesarian and Augustan ages, which is when Milan became the capital of the Roman empire. While most of the walls remain in ruins today, they are believed to have existed as early as the 1st century AD. These walls are also some of the best examples of the architecture of the Imperial Age and offer glimpses into the city’s ancient past.

During the Imperial Age, one of the areas of the museum was home to the city’s circus, which was built within the walls during the 4th century AD. The circus tower is one of the only remaining examples of a structure like this, especially since it was also used as the bell tower of the church of this monastery from the 8th to 9th centuries.

The Roman Domus was found during the construction of the museum between the years 1959 and 1961 and is currently housed in the internal courtyard of the museum. This Domus had several small rooms with an area of 2 to 4 metres, out of which only the larger one is visible to the public today.

With your Archaeological Museum tickets, you can also see the Cycladic Idol in the Greek Collection here. This is a female statue which is considered to date back to the early Bronze Age and is made of marble. It depicts female figures with their arms crossed over the stomach, and are said to be representations of those connected with fertility.

The Amphora in the Greek Collection has a large square in the centre of the vase, wherein you can see Theseus fighting the Minotaur between two female figures. This amphora is believed to date all the way back to the third quarter of the 6th century BC.

Also known as the chalice crater, the Parthenopaeus Crater is a container where wine and water were mixed together during banquets in the old times. This crater is 61 centimetres in height and has illustrations of a theatrical performance on it. It is also believed to date back to the 4th century BC.

The Signet Ring in the Early Medieval Collection is one of the most famous and beautiful artefacts that you can admire with the Archaeological Museum tickets. This seal ring was found buried in a tomb in the necropolis of Trezzo sull’Adda and is said to be a part of the funeral materials of a member belonging to the aristocracy of Lombard.

Said to date back to between the late 6th to mid-7th century, the Sword Handle belongs to the kit of one of the five tombs of the high-ranking aristocrats near the town of Trezzo sull’Adda. While the blade is made of iron, the knob is made of silver and has a niello decoration on it.

This stunning pair of earrings were discovered during an exception at the church of San Zenone, the foundation of which dates back to between 721 and 810. The earrings are made of suspension rings and are decorated with garnets and pearls, and also have blue glass pendants.