National Archaeological Museum

The National Archaeological Museum (Albanian: Muzeu Arkeologik Kombëtar) is Albania's national archaeological museum, located in Tirana on the east side of Mother Teresa Square near the University of Tirana. Opened on 1 November 1948, it was the first museum founded in the country after the Second World War and remains the oldest archaeological museum in Albania. Affiliated with the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Albania, the museum serves as the country's principal institution for preserving and presenting archaeological research conducted across Albanian territory.

The museum originally opened as the Archaeological-Ethnographic Museum on 1 November 1948. In 1976, the ethnographic portion was separated into an independent museum, and the remaining archaeological collection assumed its present name. Due to persistent space constraints, the museum underwent multiple expansions in 1957, 1976, 1982, 1985, and 1998. Its leadership is vested in the Albanian Academy of Sciences. The museum also functions as a parent institution to several other museums throughout Albania, including the Durrës Archaeological Museum, and organizes numerous archaeological expeditions across the country.

The museum holds the largest archaeological collection in Albania, with more than 2000 items on display. The holdings span six major chronological periods: the Stone Age (100,000 to 2000 BC), the Bronze and Iron Ages (2000 to 800 BC), the beginnings of Illyrian settlement and urbanization (around 1000总结 BC), Illyrian antiquity (1000 BC to 100 AD), the Roman and Byzantine period in Albania (100 to 600 AD), and the Middle Ages through Ottoman rule until Albanian independence in 1912. The collection encompasses prehistoric and classical materials through to the medieval and modern periods.

The displayed objects range from ancient jewellery and Roman statues to large clay pots encrusted with shellfish recovered during archaeological fieldwork. The museum's five sections are organized by period and geography. The first two halls contain prehistoric objects from the Stone through Iron Ages. The third hall presents materials from the 4th century BC to the 6th century AD, illustrating daily Illyrian life and trade with Greek colonies. The fourth hall features early antique statues and sculptures, along with objects from the Greek colonies of Dyrrachium, Apollonia, and Oricum. The fifth hall contains numerous objects from fortifications and tombs of the early and late Middle Ages, with particular abundance of late antique grave goods from Koman. The museum also maintains a library of approximately 7200 volumes.

The National Archaeological Museum is located in Tirana, the capital of Albania, on Mother Teresa Square. It operates under the auspices of the Albanian Academy of Sciences and continues to serve as the central repository for the nation's archaeological heritage, conducting field research and maintaining institutional oversight of regional museums throughout the country.