The Museum of the ancient outpost of "Civilization"
Frequented from the pre-historic period, the land of Eboli proved a fertile one for one of the main commercial communities in the ancient world.
As witness to the great cultural and economic vitality of this centre, the Romans conceded the status of “Municipium” to ancient Eboli, Eburum, in other words, a people's community that, while being linked to Rome, held a certain level of political and administrative autonomy.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, Eboli was destroyed and sacked numerous times, until its rebirth when, thanks to its imposing castle, it became a citadel of the Principality of Salerno's defensive system.
The history of the museum
Open to the public in 2000, the museum is located just a stone's throw from the archaeological park of Poseidonia-Paestum and is housed inside the former convent of San Francesco, a monumental complex dating back to the XIII century though extensively re-modelled during the XVI century.
The structure has been run since 2014 by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities through Campania's Museum Group, that then became the Regional Museums Directorate in 2019.
Heritage
The layout is still unfinished in all its sections but follows a chronological itinerary that extends from the Upper Neolithic period (III millennium B.C.) right up to Medieval times.
The oldest findings brought to light in the area of Eboli are on display along the first section, from those regarding tombs from the Eneolithic Period, right up to items traceable to the Bronze age that document the occupation of the hillside areas by small settlements devoted to the practices of transhumanism and trade exchanges. Indeed, they also include Mycenaean ceramics.
The second section, on the other hand, displays the vast funeral dowries from the Iron Age, that demonstrate a certain continuity up until the Roman era, when Eboli (Eburum) took on the Municipium statute (I century A.D.).
A series of findings dating from the Medieval era, found in the ancient private chapel of the convent monks, were recovered from various locations in the historical centre.
The museum itinerary is further enriched by findings uncovered in the towns of Campagna and Oliveto Citra.
