Museo nazionale archeologico di Altamura
Archaeological finds from the Alta Murgia, from prehistory to the Middle Ages, centred on the Peucetian civilisation and the story of the Uomo di Altamura (Altamura Man).
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museo nazionale archeologico di Altamura was created to bring together and make accessible the many finds made in the Alta Murgia area, from prehistory to the Middle Ages. Excavation campaigns begun right after the war and continued through the years of reconstruction led to the opening of a space to preserve and display the material recovered over time, on a site that coincides with the ancient Peucetian settlement at the locality La Croce.
The museum is housed in a building constructed in the sixties of the 20th century and completed in 1978 with funds from the Cassa del Mezzogiorno; it was inaugurated and opened to the public in 1993. The opening coincided with the major discoveries of the nineties: the Neanderthal skeleton of the Uomo di Altamura in the Lamalunga karst cave and the palaeontological site with dinosaur footprints at the Pontrelli quarry.
The displays tell the story of the settlement of this territory and offer an overview of the Peucetian civilisation, extending to the inland areas towards Basilicata and the Ionian arc. A modernisation programme, partly financed with PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) funds, led to the reopening of the first floor in August 2026 with a new display on the history of the Murge from the Iron Age to the early Middle Ages; the redesign of the prehistory sections is planned for later phases.
Highlights
- Finds of the Peucetian civilisation from the Alta Murgia
- New route through the Murge from the Iron Age to the early Middle Ages
- Coin hoards, bronzes, jewellery and figure-decorated vases
- Multimedia section on the history of the region
- Contexts linked to the Uomo di Altamura and to the prehistory of food
Permanent exhibitions
- Il primo piano: le Murge dall'età del Ferro all'alto Medioevo – Route with finds from Altamura, Gravina and Toritto, introduced by a multimedia section; at its centre the ancient Peucetia.
- Preistoria del cibo. Alle origini del pane – Exhibition on the link between the agricultural vocation of the territory and the prehistory of food.
- Founded
- 1993
- Operated by
- Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Puglia (Ministero della Cultura)
- Visitors per year
- approx. 20,880
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
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| Reduced | €2young people aged 18 to 25 |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s, under the rules for state museums. |
Free admission: Free admission on the first Sunday of the month (“Domenica al museo”), under the rules for state museums.
Online booking optional.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum is located in Via Santeramo, Altamura.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | According to the ministry’s record, the museum has captions, signposted routes, a library, a conference room and exhibition spaces. The new first-floor display includes tactile aids, bilingual panels and plain language. |
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