Musée de la Romanité, Archaeological museum in Nîmes, France
The Musée de la Romanité is an archaeology museum facing the Roman amphitheatre of Nîmes, opened on 2 June 2018 in a building by architect Elizabeth de Portzamparc. Its facade is made of undulating horizontal bands of small square light-grey tiles, with a continuous glass wall at street level bearing the museum's name in white capitals. Inside, a double-revolution staircase leads visitors from the Gallic period through Roman daily life to the medieval era.
The museum opened in 2018 and displays findings from twenty-five centuries spanning pre-Roman settlements through the medieval period in the region. A sanctuary that once marked the city's origin inspired the museum's collection and overall design.
The museum displays how Roman art and craftsmanship shaped the city, with preserved mosaics and reconstructions of ancient homes on view. The objects tell the story of daily life and the skills of earlier inhabitants.
The museum faces the Arena of Nîmes, and its glass ground floor opens onto the street with the entrance marked in white letters. A double-revolution staircase carries visitors from the Gallic period up through the Roman and medieval galleries. The rooftop terrace, reached at the top of the route, gives a 360° view over the city's Roman monuments.
The museum's atrium displays the remains of a monumental pediment, a vestige of the city's origins that greets visitors before they climb the double-revolution staircase. The building won the Future Heritage Award on 2 May 2016, before it even opened.
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