The Departmental Museum of Antiquities
Museum/Theme Park - Bronze Age, Iron Age, Greek, Roman, Medieval, Egyptian
Photo © Giogo
This museum was established in 1831 specifically to receive and display the wonderful objects recovered from the excavations of Gallo-Roman sites in Lillebonne. Since then it has become the departmental museum of antiquities for the Seine Maritime Department of Upper Normandy. Now, with numerous and varied collections, this museum tells the history of Upper Normandy from the Bronze Age to the Renaissance.
- Site Information
- Photos
- Nearby Sites
- Comments (1)
Practical Information
Click map for large view
Location: France - Normandy - Seine-Maritime - Rouen
Onsite Facilities: open year round, wheelchair accessible, events programme, children's activities, self guiding allowed
Notes: There is only partial disabled access to the museum. Entrance for wheelchair users is facilitated through the garden entrance - you need to ask at the reception for the door to be opened.
Official Website: The Departmental Museum of Antiquities
History & Archaeology
The archaeology collections in the musée départmental des Antiquités relate to the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the arrival in Normandy of the Romans, and the Medieval period.
Of particular interest is a mosaic floor that measures 5.8 by 5.6 meters. The mosaic was discovered during excavations of a Roman Villa in Lillebonne in 1870. It is thought to have been in the dining room of the villa, and depicts the classical mythological figure Orpheus. There are numerous other interesting objects on display from the Roman period.
For those more interested in the earlier Medieval periods of European history, the museum has an amazing collection of religious art objects that tell the story of the expansion of Christianity into this region.
Tours Including The Departmental Museum of Antiquities
Photos
Click thumbnail to see large version of photo.
Nearby Sites
Sites up to 50 km away as the crow flies. Click to see Nearby Sites on a Google Map.
- Jumièges Abbey 20 km / 13 miles
- Mortemer Abbey 29 km / 18 miles
- Lillebonne Roman Amphitheatre 41 km / 26 miles
- The Municipal Museum of Lillebonne 41 km / 26 miles
Site owner or manager? Proprietaires ou gestionnaires des sites?
Services
- Basse Copette Two vacation rentals (gites) and B&B in a rural hamlet on the Normandy/Picardy border (2 - 3 bedrooms). Swimming pool. Meals are available.
- Vacation Rentals in France
Resources
-
Rough Guide to Brittany - Normandy
(Amazon.com)
-
Rough Guide to Brittany - Normandy
(Amazon.co.uk)
Thomas (10 comments)
October 31, 2011
Living near Rouen, I have visited the musée départmental des Antiquités in Rouen a number of times, it is only 3 Euros entry for an adult. It may not a big museum, but it does have an interesting collection of objects. So for anyone with a few hours to kill whilst on a stopover in Rouen on their way from the UK further south in France, or on your way back, I can thoroughly recommend spending a few hours here. The display of the mosaic from nearby Lillebonne is the best I have seen in a museum.