Departmental Museum of archaeology Gilort (Jérôme) Carcopino
Encyclopedia
The Departmental Museum of archaeology Gilort (Jérôme) Carcopino is situated in the commune of Aleria
in Corsica
(France
) at around 70 kilometers from Bastia
and at 120 kilometers from Ajaccio
.
, of religious art and of ethnography
.
The director of the museum is Ghjuvan Claudiu Ottaviani.
The museum takes place in the Fort of Matra (14th century) situated in the old part of Aleria at about two kilometers from the modern village.
The collections in the museum of Aleria pertain to fifteen centuries of history of Corsica and the same Aleria, from the 10th century BCE to the 5th century CE.
Quite a lot of the exposed objects are of a great archaeological importance, both for that it concerns the knowledge of Corsica, but also for that of the Mediterranean world.
This importance derives from the archaeological site of Aleria, that was not only one of the ancient capitals of Corsica, but that has also been during its history, colony of the Greeks
from Phocaea
, then of the Carthaginians, then of the Romans and that it has finally been invaded and destroyed by the Vandals
in the 5th century.
Among the remarkable artifacts in the museum that can be mentioned there are a dish representing one of the elephants of Hannibal in march, two Greek cups for the libations (rhyton) having an extraordinary and rare zoomorphic shape reproducing a head of dog and that of a mule or an horse. Finally there are Greek, Roman and Etruscan
ceramics and vases, arms of bronze, amphoras, coins and many objects of daily life.
It was built by the Genoeses in the 14th century.
It was headquarter of a squadron of cavalry, whose mission was to guard the territories of the district, the oriental coast and the zone of the coastal ponds.
In fact, the military importance of the fort derived from its strategic position being situated on top of an impending hill. During the centuries the fort had become a deposit of weapons for the Genoeses and for this reason, in 1729, it was partially destroyed from the Corsican that were rebelling against them.
The fort, reconstructed subsequently, has welcomed the king Theodore I of Corsica during his short kingdom over Corsica. Subsequently it came in the hands of the powerful family Matra, that has had the control of the fort.
The most known of the Matra family was Mariu Emmanuele Matra, that was in struggle against Pasquale Paoli
for the rule over Corsica. He died March 28 th 1757, but the fort remained ownership of his family.
The following year to its classification as national monument, in 1963, a deposit of the picked archaeological material was installed in the fort collecting all the material coming from the district and above all what found during the excavations effected in the old Aleria, at only some hundred meters of distance from the fort. After 1979 the fort of Matra was purchased by the Haute-Corse
department of France
and this material became the basis of the new Museum.
Aléria
Aléria is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica...
in Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
(France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) at around 70 kilometers from Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
and at 120 kilometers from Ajaccio
Ajaccio
Ajaccio , is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud....
.
The Museum
In the museum it’s possible to find collections of archaeologyArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, of religious art and of ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
.
The director of the museum is Ghjuvan Claudiu Ottaviani.
The museum takes place in the Fort of Matra (14th century) situated in the old part of Aleria at about two kilometers from the modern village.
The collections in the museum of Aleria pertain to fifteen centuries of history of Corsica and the same Aleria, from the 10th century BCE to the 5th century CE.
Quite a lot of the exposed objects are of a great archaeological importance, both for that it concerns the knowledge of Corsica, but also for that of the Mediterranean world.
This importance derives from the archaeological site of Aleria, that was not only one of the ancient capitals of Corsica, but that has also been during its history, colony of the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
from Phocaea
Phocaea
Phocaea, or Phokaia, was an ancient Ionian Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia. Greek colonists from Phocaea founded the colony of Massalia in 600 BC, Emporion in 575 BC and Elea in 540 BC.-Geography:Phocaea was the northernmost...
, then of the Carthaginians, then of the Romans and that it has finally been invaded and destroyed by the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
in the 5th century.
Among the remarkable artifacts in the museum that can be mentioned there are a dish representing one of the elephants of Hannibal in march, two Greek cups for the libations (rhyton) having an extraordinary and rare zoomorphic shape reproducing a head of dog and that of a mule or an horse. Finally there are Greek, Roman and Etruscan
Etruscan art
Etruscan art was the form of figurative art produced by the Etruscan civilization in central Italy between the 9th and 2nd centuries BC. Particularly strong in this tradition were figurative sculpture in terracotta and cast bronze, wall-painting and metalworking .-History:The origins of...
ceramics and vases, arms of bronze, amphoras, coins and many objects of daily life.
The Fort Of Matra
The Fort of Matra is a monument classified as national monument from 1962.It was built by the Genoeses in the 14th century.
It was headquarter of a squadron of cavalry, whose mission was to guard the territories of the district, the oriental coast and the zone of the coastal ponds.
In fact, the military importance of the fort derived from its strategic position being situated on top of an impending hill. During the centuries the fort had become a deposit of weapons for the Genoeses and for this reason, in 1729, it was partially destroyed from the Corsican that were rebelling against them.
The fort, reconstructed subsequently, has welcomed the king Theodore I of Corsica during his short kingdom over Corsica. Subsequently it came in the hands of the powerful family Matra, that has had the control of the fort.
The most known of the Matra family was Mariu Emmanuele Matra, that was in struggle against Pasquale Paoli
Pasquale Paoli
Filippo Antonio Pasquale di Paoli , was a Corsican patriot and leader, the president of the Executive Council of the General Diet of the People of Corsica...
for the rule over Corsica. He died March 28 th 1757, but the fort remained ownership of his family.
The following year to its classification as national monument, in 1963, a deposit of the picked archaeological material was installed in the fort collecting all the material coming from the district and above all what found during the excavations effected in the old Aleria, at only some hundred meters of distance from the fort. After 1979 the fort of Matra was purchased by the Haute-Corse
Haute-Corse
Haute-Corse is a French department. It constitutes the northern part of the island of Corsica.- History :The department was formed on 15 September 1975, when the department of Corse was divided into Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud...
department of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and this material became the basis of the new Museum.