The Best History Museum In Spain

For someone who travels the world filming ancient artifacts, this museum instantly became one of my favorites. Hi, my name is Dylan and welcome to Pondering Adventurer, where I cover travel, history, and the outdoors. And today we'll take a journey through Spain's ancient past in one of the most impressive museums in the world. Spain has been shaped by more cultures than almost anywhere in Europe. Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, and Islamic dynasties all left their mark. The National Archaeological Museum in Madrid doesn't just show artifacts, it shows how these civilizations built Spain. Before Rome arrived, the Iberian Peninsula was already home to powerful warrior cultures and thriving trade networks. Going back thousands of years, the land we now call Spain was well connected to the Mediterranean world. Homegrown Celtiberians interacted with Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and more. One of the oldest examples of this connection in the museum is the sword of Guadalajara. This gold-hilted sword was worn by an Iberian warrior elite around 3,500 years ago. Experts notice its similarities in design, style, and size to those of Mycenaean Greeks, hinting at a middle Bronze Age connection. The museum also showcases later Celtiberian helmets, shields, and swords. These type of straight, leaf-shaped blades were the inspiration for the Roman Gladius. Two large, 2,300-year-old sculptures in the museum remain shrouded in mystery. They're called the Lady of Baza and the Lady of Velsch. Both depict local elites or sacred figures, and both were likely made for funerary purposes. Both were also found in the southeast of Spain, the Lady of Baza near Granada and the Lady of Velsch near Murcia. The Lady of Velsch is thought to be more abstract and idealized and may represent a goddess or idealized ancestor. The Lady of Baza seems to be a depiction of a real woman who is interred with honors. Experts believe the pair are Iberian, however they notice design elements that suggest a possible fusion of traditions and style with Phoenicians, Carthaginians, or Greeks, all of which had colonies in Iberia. The exact nature of these incredible sculptures is still inconclusive. Trade between ancient Spain and the Greek world goes back to the Bronze Age. However, Greek seafarers began establishing colonies there starting around the 8th century BC. For the most part, these Hellenic colonies were built on the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The Greeks who built them left troves of incredible artifacts behind. The Ancient Greek section of the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid is where you'll find them. Here you'll find this incredible set of bronze armor dating back 2500 years. It features a decorative cuirass and Corinthian style helmet. This exhibit is also filled with intricately decorated pottery featuring images of Greek stories as well as aspects of ancient Hellenic life. Several pieces display athletic competition. This one shows a foot race between three runners. Another, two wrestlers grappling for dominant position. And vases like these show Greek boxers exchanging blows as referees watch over. Some of my personal favorite imagery on Greek pottery depicts scenes from the Trojan War. The ancient Hellenic world was obsessed with the Trojan War and its heroes. Like their contemporaries back in Hellas, the Greeks of Iberia brought this obsession with them. This crater depicts Achilles receiving his armor made by the god Hephaestus from his mother Thetis. This one shows Achilles and Ajax rolling the die to decide their fate with Athena watching over. And my personal favorite depicts Ajax carrying the body of slain Achilles after he was killed at the Scythian Gate of Troy. Rome didn't just conquer Spain, it transformed it. Roman presence in Iberia began in the 3rd century BC when they fought the Carthaginians as part of the Second Punic War. Roman victory over Carthage gave them control of eastern and southern Spain. However, it would take several hundred more years of fighting the Iberian tribes before Rome was able to pacify the interior. Under Augustus, in the late 1st century BC, the Romans pacified the last strongholds of resistance in the north and won control of the peninsula. Rome conquered and held its territory mainly by force of arms. Helmets like this one helped the legions in Spain do just that. This one dates to the turn of the 1st century AD, the time when Rome solidified their hold over Iberia. It has protective cheek plates as well as an extended neck guard, ear guard, and brow guard. This design allowed for maximum protection while maintaining good vision and hearing. Roman law regarding its well-reasoned complexity isn't so far from legal codes we draft today. This bronze tablet is 1900 years old and it once served as a public legal document which informed the residents of Malacca of their rights. The Lex Malacitana as it's called covers public governance, the appointment of magistrates, civic duties, and grants free-born persons the privileges of Latin rights, a halfway step to Roman citizenship. Rome's most famous spectator sport was gladiator combat, and it was just as important in Roman Spain as in Italy itself. This mosaic showcases one such gladiator match and even names the combatants. Dating to the 3rd century AD, this mosaic depicts a match between Astanax and Calendio. Astanax took the class of Secutor, or chaser, with a heavy helmet, scutum shield, and gladius sword. His role was to chase down his opponent and cut him down at close range. Calendio took the class of Retiarius, who typically wore lighter armor and carried a trident and net as weapons. The Retiarius would try to keep his distance and strike with the trident while attempting to restrict the movement of the Secutor with his net. As Rome's power spread across Spain, so did something else. Christianity. This Roman sarcophagus was carved from marble and found near Astorga. Its front depicts six different biblical scenes. The raising of Lazarus, the denial of Saint Peter, the miracle of the spring, Adam and Eve and the original sin, multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and the sacrifice of Abraham. What's more interesting is that this sarcophagus dates to the very beginning of the 4th century AD. That means that it was carved just before Constantine legalized Christianity across the Roman Empire. After the fall of Rome, Spain became the heart of the Visigothic kingdom. And they didn't just replace Rome, they built a kingdom of their own. These intricately decorated gold pieces are over 1300 years old and belong to Visigothic royalty. They're called the Treasure of Guadalzar and were found near the old Visigothic capital of Toledo. The style reflects the Roman influence on Visigothic culture and strongly resembles pieces from Constantinople. The votive crown in the center belonged to King Recusfinth. He was responsible for expanding and codifying what his father had started, the Lex Visigothorum, a legal code that applied a standard set of laws based on the old Roman ones to Visigothic and Hispano-Romans alike. The letters on his crown spell Recusvinthus Rex Offerit or King Recusvinth Offered it. After the fall of the Visigoths, a new power rose in Iberia, Islamic Al-Andalus. From intricate ceramics to monumental architecture and finely crafted weapons, these pieces reflect the Islamic contribution to Iberia. Over centuries of conflict, the Christian kingdoms pushed south until Iberia returned to Christian control. The museum's prehistory exhibit transports us to a time long before any of these civilizations. You'll also find artifacts closer to the present and even far beyond Spain's borders. Most visitors to Madrid go straight to the Prado, but if you want to understand the deeper history of Spain, this museum is even more fascinating. Madrid is famous for art museums, but not history museums. What makes the National Archaeological Museum special isn't just the artifacts, it's the story they tell. Each civilization that passed through Spain left something behind, and together they built the Spain we know today. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed the video, consider subscribing to the channel. And if you're interested in more history from Spain, check out my video on the Roman Aqueduct of Segovia or King Pelayo and the start of the Reconquista. So thanks again for watching, and I'll see you on the next one.