The Museo de Malaga is now the best rated museum in the city according to a famous travel website. In this post you can discover its archaeological section. You will understand why it has become a reference museum, not only in Malaga but in Spain.

We begin with the origin of this collection that is none other than the private collection of the Marquises of Casa-Loring, a wealthy family of the nineteenth century who not only did business in Malaga but was also interested in culture and botany. On botany, we have left his magnificent property in the Garden of Conception, temporary residence of the family and at the same time botanical park.

It is there where they began to accumulate their collection, starting with Roman statues and busts that began to appear not only in Malaga, but throughout Andalusia. It was an open-air museum of great value, and now located in the Customs house.

But the wealth of Malaga and its province not only remains in that collection. Let us make here a chronological succession of the main civilizations represented in the Museum of Malaga.

1. Prehistory (including Neolithic)

In this section of the archaeological museum we get to know the great findings in the province of Malaga, such as the dolmens of Antequera, a real constructive feat of the time of the pyramids, as well as the Nerja caves and many others that teach us how our ancestors lived in this area, the beginning of settlements, agriculture and livestock.

2. Phoenicians

Phoenician jewel made of gold, found in Malaga

The first civilization that arrived from the othe side of the Mediterranean in the first millennium a. C. When they arrived in this area of the Iberian Peninsula, they found native populations, traded with them and finally decided to settle in colonies. Malaka was one of them, and in the city of Malaga itself we keep traces of that time, since the seventh century BC.

Tomb of a Phoenician soldier perfectly preserved

3. Romans

Roman civilization flourished in Malaga since the 1st century BC. until the IVth, and even later we also had a time under the Byzantine Roman Empire. It is the best represented in this museum, where we can see large statues, mosaics, remains of the Roman Theater and much more.

Impressive Roman mosaic from a house in Cartama, province of Malaga

4. Arabs

The Arabs arrived in Malaga in 715 and were in the city for almost eight centuries. This museum exhibits mostly pottery made at this time. Its production was very important, reaching levels of perfection hardly comparable in another period of history, with the special Malaga golden shiny ceramic as absolute protagonist.

Golden shiny ceramic as made by the Arabs in medieval Malaga

The Museo de Malaga is a jewel that every visitor to the city should know. If you want to visit this museum, contact us and we will guide you on a private tour through this excellent collection. And if you want to know more about him, find out what’s in his Fine Arts section.