THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
Malta's National Archaeological Museum is housed at the Auberge de Provence in
Republic Street. The museum is indubitably intriguing in its entirety. The headless fat goddesses found in
the ruins of the Temples are here, as are the three-dimensional models of the
sites. There is also a beautifully-decorated stone altar from Hagar Qim. The display cases
contain pottery, figures, prehistoric finds and primitive jewellery. In addition to this, the Museum
comprises Phoenician and Roman items on display.
The National Museum of Archaeology housed in the Auberge de Provence
constitutes one of the most important buildings within the baroque capital city, Valletta.
It was one of the first to be built within the new city in the latter half of the 16th Century,
during the reign of Grandmaster Jean l'Eveque de la Cassiere.
The Museum was inaugurated in 1958 and since then has experienced a number of changes,
the latest of which was the refurbishment of the entire building and modernization of
displays and presentations. Due to this work, only the ground floor is open to the public.
This houses a unique selection of artefacts from the Maltese Neolithic period, ranging from the
first settlers in c.5200 B.C. to the end of the Temple Period in c.2500 B.C.
Of particular interest are the Tarxien Megalithic altars showing low-relief
spiral and animal decorations. Also of extremely relevant is the large collection of human
figurines from the renowned Temple Period, including the Sleeping Lady from the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum,the Venus of Malta from Hagar Qim Temples and the Monumental Statue from Tarxien Temples.