Must-see artefacts
PIETRA DI FINALE
Birth of the territory
The first artefact is a fossil shark tooth, with serrated edges and a smooth surface. Behind you is a fragment of Pietra di Finale, a sedimentary rock characterised by an abundance of fossils, including mollusc shells, shark teeth, and remains of sirenian bones.
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BIFACIAL TOOL
Lower Palaeolithic
Room II presents traces of the Palaeolithic, when nomadic hunter-gatherers made tools for survival. The key artefact is the biface: an almond-shaped stone flaked on both sides to create sharp cutting edges.
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SCRAPER TOOL
Middle Palaeolithic
Here you can see a replica of a scraper, an essential tool mainly used for processing animal hides.
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PERFORATED BATON
Upper Palaeolithic
Room III is dedicated to Homo sapiens and the Arene Candide Cave. The main find is the tomb of the “Young Prince” (28,000 years ago): a hunter buried with a rich grave goods assemblage and probably killed by a bear. The perforated baton is one of the most distinctive objects from his burial equipment.
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PARIETAL ENGRAVING
Upper Palaeolithic
In the Arene Candide Cave, two Palaeolithic engravings dating back 12,000 years were discovered and are reproduced here. These marks resemble the “Azilian pebbles”, decorative objects typical of the end of the Late Palaeolithic.
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IMPRESSED POTTERY
Early Neolithic
Room VI presents a Square-Mouthed Vessel (Middle Neolithic), a characteristic artefact of the “Square-Mouthed Pottery Culture”, widespread across much of northern Italy. This type of vessel marks the peak of the “Neolithisation” process.
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SQUARE-MOUTHED VESSEL
Middle Neolithic
The Pian del Ciliegio rock shelter was a seasonal workshop for pottery production. The artefact comes from this site and is part of the “Square- Mouthed Pottery Culture”, typical of the Neolithic period in northern Italy.
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TOKEN
Middle Neolithic
The Pian del Ciliegio rock shelter was a seasonal workshop for pottery production. The most enigmatic artefact found here is an engraved clay cylinder: similar to Near Eastern tokens, it is interpreted as a counting device—a possible early step toward writing—perhaps used to record pottery production.
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FIGURINE OF THE MOTHER GODDESS “Venere”
Middle Neolithic
This female terracotta figurine is a symbol of Neolithic cults linked to fertility, associated with both the “Mother Earth” and womanhood. Although such figurines are widespread across the Mediterranean, in Liguria they are found exclusively in the Finalese area (Arene Candide Cave and Grotta Pollera).
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COPPER AXE
Metal Ages
Room VII introduces the Metal Ages, a period in which the discovery of smelting progressively replaced stone tools. The exhibition explains metallurgical techniques (mining, use of the bellows, and the crucible) that fostered exchanges between different peoples. Here you can see a replica of a copper axe blade, similar to the one owned by Ötzi.
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ROMAN LAMP
Roman Age
Room VIII presents the Roman occupation, which began in 181 BC after the resistance of the Ligurians. The symbolic everyday artefact is the oil lamp, a ceramic lamp used to light homes or as part of burial goods.
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CROSS-SHAPED BROOCH
Byzantine Age
Room VIII continues with the crisis of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine rule (6th–7th century AD). Here you see a bronze cruciform brooch: the discovery of this brooch and other female-related objects at Sant’Antonino di Perti shows that the fortress was not only military, but also inhabited by families.
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PROCESSIONAL CROSS
Middle Ages
Room IX is dedicated to the Del Carretto marquises (12th century–1602), a period of commercial flourishing in the Mediterranean, evidenced by imported ceramics and luxury goods. The central object is a replica of a bronze processional cross, a symbol of local religious life in that era.