Museo Archeologico Regionale Lilibeo - Marsala

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Testimonies from the sea

The underwater exhibit opens with materials from the ancient port north of the promontory. Amphorae and artifacts reveal the city's intense trade and wealth.

The main hall is dominated by the Punic Ship. A walkway allows for a close-up view of its hull and a reconstruction of its galley. Sunk during the First Punic War, the ship represents a unique example of Phoenician and Punic shipbuilding techniques.

Next door, a large ship-shaped display case houses the medieval shipwreck from the southern coast of Marsala, loaded with small wine amphorae. The visit continues with the late Roman Marausa cargo ship: one side has been reconstructed, the other is displayed horizontally, as it was when it was found, to demonstrate the vessel's original structure.

Lilibeo before and after its foundation

The city's exhibition opens with finds from Mozia, the Birgi necropolis, and prehistoric and protohistoric finds that document the area's human settlement before the city was established.

The history of Lilybaeum unfolds through Punic and Hellenistic-Roman funerary objects, materials from Christian cemeteries, and objects related to places of worship, tracing the city's evolution over time.

The symbolic works of the city

Two works directly reveal Lilybaeum's identity. The Tessera Hospitalis, featuring two clasped hands, testifies to the coexistence between communities of Punic and Greek origins. The statue of the Venus Pudica, a Roman copy from the 2nd century AD, evokes a religiosity that unites diverse traditions, from Aphrodite to Astarte.

In the background, a crenellated reconstruction evokes the defensive walls built when the city was founded, giving the image of a fortress overlooking the sea.

Cults, objects and daily life

The visit continues in the room dedicated to cults, with statues of Venus, Asclepius, and Salus or Hygieia, along with sculptural fragments related to the cult of Isis. The collections take visitors from the Punic period to the Middle Ages through ceramics, amphorae, architectural elements, and objects found during excavations, painting a portrait of a vibrant and ever-changing city.