Today, Durrës has the largest archaeological museum in Albania. The old museum was opened in March 1951 by Vangjel Toçi, known as the father of Durres archaeology, exhibiting the objects discovered underground in the Durres area. The new museum building was opened in 2002 and was redesigned in 2015, where over 2,000 objects from prehistory to the 4th century AD are exhibited. As soon as you enter the museum, you will find one of the most beautiful sculptures, the statue of Gea, the goddess of the earth and fertility, found in 2005 in the city of Durrës, next to the sculpture of the Roman emperor.
The museum is divided into three sections, starting with the Prehistoric, Hellenistic and Roman periods. The prehistoric period includes Dyrrah artifacts from 3,000 years ago, ranging from bronze spades to stone hammerheads. In the Archaeological Museum you will also get to know the Hellenistic period, which is rich in ceramic objects designed with different figures. Such objects are indicators of a cultural and economic development of the city during this period. In this section you will see exhibited 10 fragments of different figurines representing the goddess of Artemis. Who is known as the goddess who watched over the city in two directions; it ensured its military protection as a connoisseur of nature, and at the same time made possible the continuation of the city’s population through the protection it gave to women.
The last section in this museum is the Roman Period, which is presented with the coins minted in ancient Dyrrah, which prove the development of the city during the Roman period. In it you will also find the treasure of Durrës, a discovery made in 1941, near the city bazaar. The treasure dates back to 170 AD and the coins found belong to the Roman Empire.
