Museo civico archeologico 'Pio Capponi'

The Museo Civico Archeologico 'Pio Capponi' in Terracina preserves sculpture, inscriptions and architectural fragments from the ancient city of Tarracina and its surrounding territory.

Why it matters

Founded in 1894, the collection brings together material from local excavations and helps interpret the Roman city's public, religious and civic life. Among its notable works are an altar dedicated to Iovi Axur and a yellow-marble telamon known as the Barbaro.

What to notice

The collection includes statues, herms, altars and portrait heads. The garlanded altar dedicated to Iovi Axur records the local cult in inscription; another altar bears a dedication to Trajan. The Barbaro, a telamon from the Roman theatre, shows how architectural sculpture once contributed to the building's monumental setting.

Context and history

Pio Capponi founded the museum in the late nineteenth century and compiled an early inventory in 1907. The collection was reorganised during the twentieth century and transferred to the Palazzo comunale in the early 1960s. A further reorganisation took place in 1999.