Museo archeologico regionale di Kamarina

Perched near the picturesque coastal town of Scoglitti in the province of Ragusa, Sicily, the Museo Archeologico Regionale di Kamarina is a treasure trove of ancient artifacts and captivating stories from the depths of the Mediterranean and the annals of prehistory. This museum, spread across three pavilions and seven exhibition halls, offers visitors a fascinating journey through time, from the Bronze Age to the Classical period of ancient Kamarina.

Subaquatic Pavilion

Upon entering the museum, visitors are immediately greeted by the wonders of the Subaquatic Pavilion. This first hall is dedicated to underwater archaeology, showcasing a rich collection of artifacts unearthed from the sea off the coast of Kamarina during the 1990s. Among the treasures on display are remnants from the Corinthian Helmet shipwreck dating back to the Archaic period (6th century BC). Here, you can marvel at large transport amphorae, small Ionian kylikes, oil lamps, and a rare Corinthian helmet with a hemispherical cap and included cheek pieces.

Also featured are a bronze Attic-Etruscan helmet with movable cheek pieces and a pinecone-shaped knob, Greek-Italic amphorae, a bronze statuette of the god Harpocrates, coins, weights, oil lamps, a stonemason's tool, and a stylus from the Mamertine shipwreck. The exhibit continues with objects from the 3rd century AD Column shipwreck, including a bronze perfume vase, a thermos, a glass bottle with a basket made of plant fibers, three strigils, and various coins.

The pavilion also houses artifacts from the Aphrodite shipwreck (3rd century AD), such as a beautiful bronze statuette of Aphrodite, serving dishes, and supports for a triclinium. From the Six Emperors shipwreck, you can admire 5,000 bronze coins (Antoniniani), a steelyard, weights, sounding leads, and various ornamental objects. Finally, the medieval shipwreck exhibit features blacksmith tools, offering a glimpse into the past's craftsmanship and daily life.

Eastern Pavilion

Prehistoric Hall

Stepping out of the Subaquatic Pavilion and into the courtyard, visitors find themselves at the entrance of the Eastern Pavilion. The first hall here is dedicated to prehistoric settlements in the region, particularly during the Bronze Age (19th-15th centuries BC). This hall showcases lithic tools such as blades, awls, arrowheads, and hammers, typical of the Castelluccian culture of the Bronze Age. These artifacts were excavated from sites along the coast, including Passo Marinaro, Piano Resti, Macchia Tonda, and Branco Grande, as well as inland near Santa Croce Camerina (Contrada Forche).

Archaic Kamarina Hall

The Archaic Kamarina Hall features numerous artifacts from the necropolis of Rifriscolaro, which accompanied the burials. Among the highlights are a Lekythos depicting Aeneas and Anchises, various Corinthian skyphoi and aryballoi, ointment jars, and a stunning two-handled amphora from the late 6th century BC adorned with scenes of armed horsemen and dancing maenads. Visitors can also see an enchytrismos burial (inhumation), a cappuccina burial, a kantharos, an Etruscan bucchero oinochoe, an aryballos with two roaring lions, a beautiful krater, and other finely decorated funerary items.

Persephone Hall

This hall is dedicated to the known cults of Kamarina, particularly the sanctuary of Demeter and Kore, discovered by Paolo Orsi in 1896. Visitors can admire various protomes and torsos of seated statuettes from the Hippocratic period (491 BC), featuring the polos, in the style of Athena Lindia, and other terracotta statuettes depicting standing figures with a piglet at their chest. The hall also displays a terracotta arula decorated with a relief of a Gorgon from the 6th-5th centuries BC and some decorative elements from the Temple of Athena.

Temple of Athena Hall

Dedicated to the Temple of Athena, this hall showcases part of the 4th-century BC fill embankment, the access ramp to the pronaos, and the massive foundation structures of the temple. The temple itself is a cella in antis, built from calcarenite blocks on a three-step crepidoma, divided into three spaces corresponding to the pronaos, the cella, and the opisthodomos.

Western Pavilion

Classical Kamarina Hall

This hall represents the urban history of Classical Kamarina, from the early 5th century BC, highlighting the important public space of the Agora and various urban quarters with their plateiai and stenopoi. The exhibit includes photographic documentation of Kamarina's coinage, depicting Athena, Demeter and Kore, the nymph Kamarina, Zeus, and the god Hipparis. The hall also documents various research conducted in the chora of Kamarina.

Passo Marinaro Necropolis Hall

In this spacious hall, visitors can explore various funerary items from the 5th-4th centuries BC, excavated from the Classical necropolis of Passo Marinaro. The collection includes red-figure bell kraters, black-glazed oil lamps, cups, bowls, and other fine Attic ceramic funerary items. The hall also features a cappuccina burial with its funerary items, a funerary inscription of Hippo, stamped tiles, an altar, and several reconstructive models of a Greek farmhouse and the entire archaeological site.

The Museo Archeologico Regionale di Kamarina is not just a repository of ancient artifacts; it is a gateway to the past, offering visitors a vivid glimpse into the lives, beliefs, and artistry of the ancient inhabitants of this region. A visit to this museum is a journey through time, where each artifact tells a story of the people who once walked the lands of Kamarina.