Amasya Archeology Museum is a museum located in the city center of Amasya, Turkiye, which systematically exhibits and protects the archaeological heritage of the region. The museum dates back to 1925 and has been operating in its current modern building since 1980. The museum contains artifacts from a wide time period, from the Chalcolithic Age to the Ottoman Period, and archaeological remains from 13 different civilizations are exhibited.
Amasya Archaeological Museum (Culture Portal)
Establishment and Development Process
The foundation of the Amasya Archaeological Museum is based on a museum depot created with a small number of artifacts in the madrasah building of the Bayezid II Complex in 1925. The museum was managed by an honorary civil servant until 1958, and officially gained the status of museum directorate in 1958. With the increase in the number of artifacts, the collection was moved to the Seljuk Gökmedrese Mosque in 1962, and finally transferred to the modern building built for the museum on March 22, 1977. The museum was officially opened to visitors in its new location on June 14, 1980.
Collection and Exhibited Periods
The museum display includes artifacts from 13 different civilizations, starting from the Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic Age, and extending to the Bronze Age, Hittite, Urartian, Phrygian, Scythian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine (Eastern Roman), Seljuk, Ilkhanid and Ottoman periods. This comprehensive collection also includes archaeological, ethnographic, coin, seal, manuscript and mummies. Today, the museum collection contains a total of 23,476 registered works.
The Interior. (Culture Portal)
Museum Campus and Units
The museum consists of three main units: Central Museum Building, Hazeranlar Mansion and King Rock Tombs Ruins. In the open display garden located to the west of the museum building, stone artifacts from many periods from Hittite to Ottoman are exhibited. On the first floor of the museum, there is a hall of mummies and important examples of mosaics and sarcophagi.
Stone Artifacts. (Culture Portal)
Important Works and Exhibitions
Window Wings with Kayı Tribe Stamp
Brought to the museum in 2000 from the Amasya II. Bayezid Mosque, it was recorded as being dated 1486 and bears the “I Y I” stamp of the Kayı Tribe of the Ottoman Empire on its wooden window sashes. The middle panels of these sashes, which are 208 cm long and 67 cm wide, measure 92 x 46 cm. The stamp is inlaid (mirrored) and is documented as the only example in Ottoman geography.
Storm God Teşup Figurine
The figurine, dated to the Middle and Late Bronze Age and found in Doğantepe Village Mesken Höyük in 1962, depicts the Storm God Teşup, the chief god of the Hittites. The height of the work, which was made with the bronze casting technique, is 21.5 cm and its weight is 1340 grams. It is thought to be located in a cult center used against Kaşka attacks during the Hittite Imperial Period.
Ax with Eyes
This weapon, made of bronze and with a handle hole, which was added to the collection in 1976, is one of the characteristic examples of the Middle Bronze Age Anatolia. Although the origin of the ax is unknown, similar examples have been found in the Kültepe and Acemhöyük excavations.
Mummies
The mummies, which constitute one of the most interesting parts of the museum, date back to the Ilkhanid Period and belong to people who served as nazir and emir. A total of eight mummies, including İşbuğa Nuyin, Cumudar Bey, İzzettin Mehmet Pervane Bey, his concubine and children, are exhibited in special glass coffins.
Mummies. (Culture Portal)
Amasya Apple Mosaic
Discovered in 2013 during excavations in the Küpderesi area of Yavru Village, the mosaic belongs to a rural Roman villa structure. It has been determined that the structure was later converted into a chapel. The depiction of the "Amasya Misket Apple" in the mosaic indicates that this apple variety was known in the region approximately 1,700 years ago.
Aktarla Sarcophagus
The Aktarla Sarcophagus is a stone sarcophagus featuring Greek inscriptions and decorative elements. It was found in the Aktarla neighborhood of Yuvacık Village, located in the Amasya city center, and is made of cream-colored limestone. Relief decorations adorn the front face of the sarcophagus, while the top is covered with a curved (semardam) lid. The lid is fitted onto the body using triangular pediments on each side and secured with bronze rivets.
The Greek inscription on the front includes a curse aimed at those who might tamper with the tomb, serving as an example of protective or magical texts found in burial traditions of the period. Based on the context of its discovery, the structure is identified as dating to the Roman period.
Byzantine Period Sarcophagi
Two sarcophagi from the Byzantine period are exhibited in the museum’s open-air display garden. They stand out due to the vegetal and figural decorations on their outer surfaces. Both sarcophagi are made of limestone and are adorned with reliefs reflecting the religious and cultural symbols of the era. These decorations include:
- Grape clusters
- Vine branches
- Palmette motifs
- Bird figures
These motifs represent the symbolic language and religious iconography of Byzantine art. The grape and vine motifs, in particular, are associated with Jesus and the concept of eternal life in early Christianity. Bird figures are interpreted as symbols of the soul’s immortality and its connection to paradise (as stated in the document). The form, richness of motifs, and stone craftsmanship of the sarcophagi are typical examples of Byzantine burial traditions.
Visitor Information
Amasya Archaeological Museum is located at Mustafa Kemal Paşa Street No. 91, Üçler Neighborhood, in the Amasya city center. The museum is open to visitors, and amateur photography is allowed. Since it is centrally located, the museum is within walking distance from anywhere in the city.
