Museo Archeologico di Medma

In the heart of Rosarno, at the centre of the ancient Greek city of Medma, this national museum gathers the terracottas, bronzes and tomb assemblages of a Locrian colony whose figurines reached museums across Italy and abroad. Its galleries follow a settlement, its necropolis and its sanctuaries over centuries of craft.

Why it matters

The state museum in Rosarno, opened in 2014, presents finds from Medma, the ancient Locrian colony. Its terracotta figurines are a distinctive part of the collection, alongside grave goods, sanctuary offerings and bronze objects.

What to notice

The galleries present finds from Medma's necropolis, sanctuaries and settlement. The necropolis, about a kilometre south of modern Rosarno, contained roughly six hundred tombs dating from the sixth to third centuries BC. The sanctuary collection includes terracotta, ceramic and metal offerings from Calderazzo. Figurines include standing female figures and enthroned goddesses, as well as moulds, busts and masks in red-orange and red-brown clay. Other objects include votive offerings associated with Persephone and bronze phialai, shallow cups used for libations. Finds from the ancient settlement and part of the local Gangemi collection are also displayed.

Context and history

Paolo Orsi's 1912 and 1913 excavations at Calderazzo uncovered a large votive deposit of terracotta objects. Further excavation between 2014 and 2018 exposed a nearby sacred building. The museum, opened in 2014, presents finds from the ancient city, while some related material, including a monumental terracotta figure of the Athena Promachos type, is held at the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria.