Referring to the importance of the collection as the basis for interpreting the archaeological context of the town, as well as the exceptional value of individual objects preserved within it, the Museum organized the exhibition Selected from Archaeological Localities of the Rovinj Region. This exhibition selects a single object from each site, puts it in a broader historical and cultural context, and positions it in the time and place where it was used. Following a less is more approach, each object represents the people and their way of life – it reveals a moment in history that remained captured in the folds of time.
The area of Rovinj is rich in archaeological sites – from prehistoric hillfort settlements, established on numerous hills and islands for strategic oversight of the surrounding area, to ancient villas in sheltered coves and bays; from medieval churches scattered across fields and along roads outside the bounds of today’s town, to numerous underwater finds, concentrated in the coves and around the islands to the south and north. Objects found on these sites speak of the life as it had been before Rovinj became what it is today. Everything that was not documented in writing can be learned exclusively through the study of individual objects or groups of similar objects. They tell us about the people who used them, the cultural group or people to whom they belonged, their tastes, everyday life, beliefs, and the contacts they maintained.
The exhibited objects spanning from prehistory – from the Bronze and Iron Ages to the modern period. In addition to their dating, they differ in material, manufacturing techniques, and purpose. Objects that entered the Museum as a result of archaeological research provide insight into the stratified nature of the sites where they were discovered, while those donated to the Museum following accidental finds bear witness to the settlement of a given area precisely in cases where archaeological excavation was not possible.
For the exhibition, ten objects were selected, nine of which come from the holdings of the Rovinj Museum, while one object was loaned from the Archaeological Museum of Istria in Pula, through which the best-researched archaeological site in this area - Monkodonja - was presented.
