Museo del Satiro danzante
Museum in Mazara del Vallo, in the former church of Sant'Egidio, which houses the bronze Dancing Satyr recovered from the Sicilian Channel.
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About the museum
The museum is housed in the former church of Sant'Egidio, a building erected between the beginning and the end of the 16th century and later deconsecrated. It was established by the Regione Siciliana in 2003 to house the Dancing Satyr, a bronze statue of the late 4th century BC attributed to the school of Praxiteles. Since 2019 it has depended on the Parco archeologico di Selinunte, Cave di Cusa e Pantelleria.
The statue was recovered by the fishing boat Capitan Ciccio from Mazara, under the command of Francesco Adragna: the left leg came to light in the spring of 1997, and the body, lacking one leg and the arms, on 4 March 1998. It is thought to have been part of the cargo of a ship wrecked between Sicily and Cape Bon, in a period of great trade in ancient works. After restoration by the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro in Rome, the Satyr returned to Mazara del Vallo and since 2005 has been displayed in the museum.
The Satyr is depicted in the ecstasy of orgiastic dance, turning on his right leg with the kantharos and the thyrsus. Next to the statue, in one large hall, the museum presents finds recovered from the waters of the Sicilian Channel: a bronze elephant's foot of the Punic-Hellenistic period, a medieval bronze cauldron, transport amphorae of different eras, an askos of the 3rd century BC and a North African spatheion of the 5th century AD. A documentary on the discovery is screened at the entrance.
Highlights
- Bronze Dancing Satyr, late 4th century BC
- Bronze elephant's foot of the Punic-Hellenistic period
- Transport amphorae from the Archaic to the medieval period
- Documentary on the discovery, shown at the entrance
- 16th-century church of Sant'Egidio
- Founded
- 2003
- Operated by
- Parco archeologico di Selinunte, Cave di Cusa e Pantelleria (Regione Siciliana)
- Visitors per year
- approx. 41,493 (2022)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €450% reduction for EU citizens aged 18 to 25. |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission under 18; under 12 with an adult. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and one family member or companion. |
Free admission: Free admission on the first Sunday of the month and on special occasions.
Free admission also for EU tourist guides and interpreters, ICOM members, teachers, journalists and other categories provided for by regional regulations.
Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | A documentary on the discovery of the Satyr is screened at the entrance. |
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