Knowra Capitoline Museums Capitoline Museums The Capitoline Museums are a group of art and archaeological museums on Rome’s Capitoline Hill, housed chiefly in the Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo. Their collections include ancient Roman sculpture, inscriptions, and paintings.
Capitoline Wolf : A bronze sculpture of a she-wolf suckling the infant twins Romulus and Remus, displayed in Rome’s Capitoline Museums. This celebrated image of Rome’s founding myth is one of the museums’ best-known works.
Pope Sixtus IV : Pope from 1471 to 1484 who sponsored major building and artistic projects in Rome. In 1471, he donated ancient bronzes to the Roman people, establishing the museums’ collection.
Roman sculpture : Sculpture produced in ancient Rome, including portraits, reliefs, monuments, and copies of Greek works. It forms the core of the museums’ internationally known ancient collection.
Cultural heritage : The inherited material and intangible practices that communities value and transmit across generations. The museums preserve objects central to Rome’s civic and archaeological heritage.
Vatican Museums : A group of museums in Vatican City displaying papal collections of art and archaeological objects. They offer a nearby comparison: a vast papal collection rather than museums rooted in Rome’s civic institutions.
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius : A monumental ancient Roman bronze equestrian statue depicting Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The original stands inside the Capitoline Museums, protected from weather after centuries outdoors.
Capitoline Hill : One of Rome’s seven hills, historically a religious, political, and civic center of the city. The museums occupy the hill that gives them their name and civic setting.
Roman portraiture : The ancient Roman practice of depicting individuals in sculpture, painting, coins, and other media. Portrait busts in the museums reveal Roman conventions of status, age, and character.
Archaeology of Rome : The study of material remains from Rome’s ancient and later urban history. The collections provide archaeological evidence from the city and its wider territory.
National Roman Museum : A museum network in Rome devoted chiefly to the city’s ancient archaeological heritage. Its archaeological focus complements the Capitoline Museums’ mix of ancient works and later art.
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