The Museum of History and Archaeology in Constanta

The discovery of important archaeological artifacts in Constanta have a boost to research into the history of this ancient history.

România Internațional, 16.05.2015, 14:20

The city expansion works that began in Constanta in 1877 led to the discovery of important archaeological artifacts, which gave a boost to research into the history of this ancient city, first founded by the Greeks under the name of Tomis. Archaeological exploration gradually uncovered pottery, statues, inscriptions and coins of great importance, which first entered private collections. This was the first step towards the creation of a history and archaeology museum in Constanta. In 1878, Remus Opreanu, Dobrogeas first Romanian prefect, took the initiative to display these collections in a museum housed by the Prefecture building. At first, the small-sized objects and 15 sculptures were displayed in the prefects own office, while 27 larger pieces were exhibited along the alley in front of the building. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed the Prefecture in 1882, so the collection of the new museum had to be relocated. It therefore moved from one place to another before reaching todays headquarters in Ovid Square. The initial collection of the Museum of History and Archaeology consisted of various donations, says the director of the museum, Gabriel Custurea:

“Among other things, the museums collection contains donations. Among the donors I would mention Mihail Sutu, one of the founders of archaeology and numismatics in Romania, an exceptional scholar who also published his works in France and Germany in the 1890s. The finds uncovered during excavations made in the Constanta port as part of the modernisation works initiated by engineer Anghel Saligny at the beginning of the 20th century are now part of the museums collection. Records point to around 30 objects discovered during these excavations. There were many people at that time who were interested in local culture and wanted to have such a museum. The collections were even hosted by the Town Hall building. The building that currently houses the museum used to function as the Town Hall, while todays exhibition rooms are the same rooms that housed the museum between 1928 and 1938. After 1938, the museum found a home in the building that today houses the citys Aquarium, on the beachfront, opposite the Casino. The museum remained there until the 1950s when it moved to the Episcopal Palace. Finally, it moved to todays headquarters in the Ovid Square in 1977.”

A landmark of Constantas old area, Ovid Square is dominated by a statue of the Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso, who was exiled by emperor Augustus to Tomis. The Museum of History in Constanta prepares to celebrate 2,000 years since the death of Ovid, the author of “The Letters from the Black Sea”. Some of the events will be held together with a museum from the French city of Toulouse. Gabriel Custurea tells us more:

“Ovid spent the final 9 years of his life here, in the ancient city of Tomis, from where he sent letters to Rome describing his sad life in exile, letters which were ignored by emperor Augustus. It is believed that Ovid was buried at the gates of Tomis, in the 1st century AD, on the site of what is today Ovid Square.”

Apart from its permanent collection found at its headquarters in Constanta, the Museum of History and Archaeology also manages other historical sites in the Constanta county, some of which are not open to the public. Gabriel Custurea:

“These sites cannot be visited because it is very difficult to reach them. One example is a painted hypogeum tomb that can only be accessed through a narrow slope. The tomb is covered by earth, so as to be better preserved. We try to maintain a constant level of humidity and temperature. Fortunately, the nearby street is restricted to heavy vehicles, so there are no vibrations to damage the tomb. Other sites managed by the museum are the small churches in Murfatlar dug into the side of a limestone hill, so they are very fragile. Each church consists of a small room of 6-8 square metres. These sites are not open for visitors, because they are very vulnerable to variations in temperature and humidity. Unless we protect them, they will be gone. Their protection, however, involves funding that we try to secure through European projects.”

“The Exhibit of the Month” is one of the projects initiated by the museum in an attempt to attract more visitors. One recent example was a Byzantine amphora dating from the 5th century AD found at sea at a depth of more than 100 metres.