National Archaeological Museum (Madrid)

The National Archaeological Museum (Museo Arqueológico Nacional (M.A.N.)) was established in 1867 by order of Queen Isabella II. There was a need to organize all the archaeological finds, decorative art objects, and numismatic valuables that Spanish monarchs had collected over many centuries. The collection includes exhibits from Ancient Greece and Rome, Egypt and the Near East, and treasures found in Spain.

The museum is located in Madrid, near Columbus Square, in the Palace of Libraries and Museums. Previously, it occupied a mansion on Embajadores Street, but in 1985, by government decree, the museum was moved to Serrano Street.

This museum is considered one of the best in Spain. The masterpieces of Iberian culture on display in the collection are invaluable. The sculptures «Lady of Baza,» «Lady-Communicant» (Hill of Saints, Albacete Province) date back to the 4th century BCE. The female bust adorned with rich decorations, «Lady of Elche,» is considered a symbol of the entire ancient Iberian culture. Figurines of ancient warriors, women’s jewelry, ritual crowns of the Visigoths of Guarrazar from the 8th century, a marble wellhead depicting the birth of Athena from the 1st century CE—more than a million exhibits from around the world are housed in the museum. In the inner courtyard, there is a reproduction of the Altamira cave (province of Santander), with paintings from the Paleolithic era.

Some rare items in the collection have become subjects of controversy. The Italian government disputes the legitimacy of the Madrid museum’s purchase of twenty-two Etruscan vases in 1999, part of an «Etruscan collection» consisting of 181 items. Legal proceedings regarding illegal excavations and resale of valuables are currently underway in Italy.