MUST SEE /
Archaeological Museum
The Civic Museum of Modica hosts paleontological remains from Modica, from the Grotto Lazarus and artwork in bronze as the famous "Heracles Cafeo".
The Civic Museum of Modica, which for many years was inside the Palace of Mercedari, he was transferred in June 2005 to the premises of the Palace of Culture, former Benedictine Monastery and then the venue of the Court of Modica. Born thanks to the initiative of Franco Libero Belgiorno, which was finally entitled the museum, has important paleontological remains from different areas of Modica inside, in particular those from Cave Lazarus.
In the section devoted to prehistoric times, there are the finds from the Neolithic village in the land Pirrone. There are also materials dating back to the ancient Bronze Age and from the village of Baravitalla to Cava Ispica and Cava Lazarus. But the most important piece in the entire collection is in a special room of the museum: the famous bronze depicting Heracles of Cafeo. This statue, about 22 cm high, was found in 1967, in the course of the work that the town of Modica was, at the time, running along the river Irminio, under 8 meters of alluvial material. It was then restored at the Central Institute for Restoration. Heracles is represented naked, upright with leontea on the head and the bow in his left hand. The load is indicated by a visible bulging bag just above the knee. The leontea, resting on the head, falls around the ears, shoulders, left arm and down the corresponding leg. The facial expression is severe.
The Heracles of Cafeo can be considered an exceptional find, a work in which you can catch an echo of the artistic tradition of the school of the bronze headed to Syracuse. We have questioned the placement of the statue, which was probably dragged away from the original site by the river. But perhaps it is an ex-voto from a sanctuary connected with the cult of the source of the river. The work can be dated to the third century BC.
In the section devoted to prehistoric times, there are the finds from the Neolithic village in the land Pirrone. There are also materials dating back to the ancient Bronze Age and from the village of Baravitalla to Cava Ispica and Cava Lazarus. But the most important piece in the entire collection is in a special room of the museum: the famous bronze depicting Heracles of Cafeo. This statue, about 22 cm high, was found in 1967, in the course of the work that the town of Modica was, at the time, running along the river Irminio, under 8 meters of alluvial material. It was then restored at the Central Institute for Restoration. Heracles is represented naked, upright with leontea on the head and the bow in his left hand. The load is indicated by a visible bulging bag just above the knee. The leontea, resting on the head, falls around the ears, shoulders, left arm and down the corresponding leg. The facial expression is severe.
The Heracles of Cafeo can be considered an exceptional find, a work in which you can catch an echo of the artistic tradition of the school of the bronze headed to Syracuse. We have questioned the placement of the statue, which was probably dragged away from the original site by the river. But perhaps it is an ex-voto from a sanctuary connected with the cult of the source of the river. The work can be dated to the third century BC.
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