Museo Archeologico Nazionale Cerite

The National Archaeological Museum of Cerveteri, the Cerite Museum, occupies the thirteenth-century Ruspoli fortress on the town's main square. Its collections bring together finds from Cerveteri's necropolises and ancient city, from Villanovan grave goods to Hellenistic sarcophagi.

Why it matters

The museum documents the cultural history of the territory of ancient Caere, from the Iron Age cemeteries through the Etruscan city and its Hellenistic period. Among its best-known works are the Euphronios krater and kylix, returned to Cerveteri from American museums in 2015. The kylix was made by Euphronios as potter and painted by Onesimos.

What to notice

The ground floor includes grave goods from the Sorbo necropolis, dating from the ninth to seventh centuries BC, as well as finds from the Banditaccia and Monte Abatone necropolises and the ancient city at Civita. The upper floor presents Greek figured vases from the sixth to fourth centuries BC, Hellenistic sarcophagi and material from the settlement and sanctuaries. A sculptural reconstruction of a rock-cut tomb complex from Greppe Sant'Angelo follows Macedonian models and includes a stone image of Charun, the Etruscan underworld figure. In the square, the Case Grifoni display further finds, including a seventh-century-BC gold fibula made using granulation.

Context and history

The museum occupies the Rocca, a fortified structure of tuff, lava and brick dating to the thirteenth century. Its circuit incorporates stretches of Etruscan city wall from the fourth century BC. The fortress belonged to the Ruspoli princes for centuries; they ceded it to the Italian state in 1967, the year the archaeological museum opened there. The museum's collections include the Euphronios vessels, recovered after illegal excavation and export and returned to Cerveteri in 2015.