The museum in Taranto, Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto, is one of the finest national museums in Italy. Particularly well known for its collection of artefacts from the time when the city was colonised by the Dorians from Sparta. For anyone interested in the Greek colonies of the Mediterranean, the new displays are a must. But as with many museums around the world, included in the collection is an exquisite statue of Thot in the form of a baboon, one of the ancient Egyptian deities.
- Thomas Dowson
- Last Checked and/or Updated 8 January 2024
- No Comments
- Amazing Artefacts
In a series of exhibits detailing the history of the Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto (Museo MArTA, for short) is a beautiful black statue of a baboon. The hieroglyphs immediately gives away the sculpture’s ancient Egyptian origins. The inscription translates as:
Thoth lord of great Hermopolis, lord of the god’s words, worshipped at R-nfr
Thoth was one of the ancient Egyptian deities, often depicted as a baboon or a man with an ibis head.
Hermopolis is the name of a city on the Nile that once stood on the border between Upper and Lower Egypt. Hermopolis is the Greek name of the city, it was known as Khemenu (Ḫmnw) by the ancient Egyptians. The Greeks named it after Hermes whom they identified as Thot, and it was here that Thot’s main temple was located.
Thot was not only an important deity in the pantheon of ancient Egyptian gods, he was also said to be the author of all works of science, philosophy, religion and magic. The ancient Greeks went further and claimed him to be the inventor of astronomy, astrology, geometry, mathematics, the alphabet, reading, writing, land surveying, medicine, botany, theology, civilised government and oratory. With this mythological background Thot was involved with the maintenance of the universe and the arbitration of godly disputes, mediating between good and evil.
The statue, dated to the 30th dynasty (second half of the 4th century BC), is carved in a fine-grained basalt and was acquired by the museum in 1934.
The small statue was found in the seaside town of Porto Cesareo. The final part of the inscription, worshipped at R-nfr, refers to the name of the town of Ra-Nefer on the Nile delta, presumably where it was made before it was brought to Porto Cesareo – probably by the Romans.
Museum website: Basalt statue of the god Thoth.
Add Museo MArTA to Your Itineraries & Travel Lists
You can create your own travel lists (such as places you have been to, places you would like to visit) and itinerary for your Italy trip. These can also be shared with your friends and on social media. You can see how this is done by watching our Using the Itinerary video on YouTube, or reading the Using the Itinerary page.
For more sites and museums in Italy, see our Italy Travel Guide: Art, Archaeology & History.
National Archaeology Museum of Taranto
Founded in the 19th century, with a major renovation ending in 2016, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto is one of the finest national museums in Italy. Beautifully displayed is an astonishing collection of artefacts, from Palaeolithic figurines found in nearby caves to numerous artefacts from the Roman period of the area. For anyone interested in the subject of Magna Grecia, and the colonisation of Italy by the Greeks, the collection of Apulian ceramics is truly spectacular and will not disappoint!
Archaeology Travel Writer
