The tourists who this summer will be nearby Verona, but also local people, will have the chance to visit an exposition that is unique in its genre and is dedicated most of all to the archeology and numismatics lovers.
Until the 30th of September 2012 indeed it will be possible to see Jacopo Muselli's collection of archeological finds, on an exposition at Verona Archeological Museum in the Roman Theatre; a part of the collection indeed is normally open in a permanent exhibition in the museum, while for the summer period, the collection will be open in its complete version in the wonderful framing of the Museum of the Roman Theatre.
The exposition, called “At the beginning of archeology: in the 18th century between digging and collecting” is a unique chance to understand completely one of the culturally most active periods in Verona: the Eighteenth Century was a period of cultural fervor, during which among the nobility of that time spread over the tendency for antiquity and for the antiquarian collecting; one of the persons that pushed the research in this sense was Scipione Maffei, which opened in Verona one of the oldest archeological museums in the world, the Lapidario Maffeiano. Another great personality who left his mark in the history of archeology was the archeologist and astrologer Francesco Bianchini, expert in antiques of Pope Clemente XI.
When Bianchini died his collections were bought by Jacopo Muselli, noble from Verona who was in love with archeology and numismatics, who bought also part of Maffei collections. Perhaps in the attempt to emulate Bianchini – character that he really admired- Muselli started also some excavations in Verona territory, finding in Raldon area-near San Giovanni Lupatoto- a cremation necropolis with graves of the I- III century AD, which preserved in good conditions many grave goods containing some fibulas, glass unguentariums and an amphora used as a funeral case. During other excavations in Verona area, Muselli found the rests of an ancient villa which probably dates at the late Roman Period; at that time he mistook it for a modest house, and inside it he found some coins of the Augusto period, which are now part of the collection at Verona Archeological Museum.
The exposition will be an ideal occasion to visit one of the most fascinating museums of the city that exceptionally, will open to the public the whole Muselli collection, which is characterized by the variety of the archeological finds that compose it: there are both common house objects and rare and bizarre objects like for example a bronze hand which holds a Knucklebones, a bone of an animal-used in the roman age as a dice- a series of stamps used for the sealing of food, a great number of instruments for the domestic work as bells, hand bells, keys, glass vials and bronze toys for children, while the most interesting piece is certainly the identification tag of a slave.
Moreover the exhibition will be also the occasion to visit- for the ones who haven't done it yet- the beautiful location of the Archeological Museum in the Roman Theatre: the museum is indeed inside an ancient monastery built in Colle San Pietro, which offers -from its terrace- a unique view on the city.
Martin Wynn
