The Tavira Municipal Museum – Palácio da Galeria will open this Saturday, January 20th, at 16pm, the exhibition “Balsa, Roman City”.
The exhibition, which celebrates Roman history, promises visitors “a two-thousand-year journey to the urban origins of the Algarve”.
«Around 150 years ago, Estácio da Veiga, a pioneer of Portuguese Archaeology, from Tavira, established the “Algarve Archaeological Museum”. This remarkable compilation of pieces from the different peoples and civilizations of the Algarve, including artefacts from the Roman city of Balsa, was never exhibited in this region. The public exhibition of this “museum” would eventually take place, but, in Lisbon, in 1880, being the origin of the current National Museum of Archeology», highlights the Câmara de Tavira in a note.
The result of a partnership between this institution, the Municipality of Tavira and the University of Algarve, through its Center for Studies in Archaeology, Arts and Heritage Sciences (CEAACP), part of the Balsa collection from that National Museum can be viewed at the Municipal Museum de Tavira – Palácio da Galeria.
Entitled “Balsa”, Roman City, this exhibition about the urban center that two thousand years ago developed on the banks of the Ria Formosa, near Luz de Tavira, also brings together pieces from other museums in the region and the country, such as the Archaeological Museum of Carmo, the Municipal Museum of Faro, the Olhão Municipal Museum, the Moncarapacho Parish Museum, as well as private lenders, offering a comprehensive overview of the historical heritage of the city of Balsa.
Throughout several rooms, different aspects of this ancient city will be illustrated, from the first references, to its disappearance and the story of its discovery.
It is also possible to get to know some of the inhabitants and aspects of their daily lives, as well as the economic activities, concerns about health, beauty or the funeral rituals of some Balsenses.
Commissioned by archaeologists João Pedro Bernardes (University of Algarve) and Celso Candeias (Municipality of Tavira), Balsa Cidade Romana is also the result of the latest investigations carried out on the ground, within the scope of the Balsa, Searching the Origins of Algarve project, promising to «unveil mysteries and clarify misconceptions about this city that has captured the curiosity of many».
The exhibition will be on display until September 28th.
Comments