The “Balsa, Roman City” exhibition at Tavira’s Municipal Museum is on show until September 28.

The exhibition “Balsa, Cidade Romana” opened yesterday, January 20, at the Municipal Museum of Tavira (Palácio da Galeria). “The exhibition celebrates the Roman history of Tavira and promises visitors a two-thousand-year journey to the urban origins of the Algarve”, said the municipality.

The exhibition originated around 150 years ago, when Estácio da Veiga, a pioneer of Portuguese Archeology from Tavira, established the “Algarve Archaeological Museum”.

This compilation of pieces from the different peoples and civilizations of the Algarve, including artefacts from the Roman city of Balsa, was never exhibited in the region. However, in 1880, it was shown in Lisbon, giving rise to the current National Archeology Museum.

Thanks to a partnership between this institution, the municipality of Tavira and the University of the Algarve,through its Centre for Studies in Archaeology, Arts and Heritage Sciences (CEAACP), a good part of the Balsa collection can now be appreciated at Tavira’s Municipal Museum.

Showcasing the urban centre that developed two thousand years ago on the banks of the Ria Formosa, near Luz de Tavira, the “Balsa, Cidade Romana” exhibition also brings together pieces from several other museums in the region and the country, such as the Carmo Archaeological Museum, the Faro Municipal Museum, the Olhão Municipal Museum, the Moncarapacho Parish Museum. Private lenders have also contributed with pieces, helping offer a comprehensive view of the historical heritage of Balsa.

“Throughout several rooms, different aspects of this ancient city will be illustrated, from the first references to its disappearance and the history of its discovery. Some of its inhabitants and aspects of their daily lives are made known, as well as the economic activities, concerns about health, beauty or the funeral rituals of some ‘Balsenses'”, highlights the municipality in a statement.

Commissioned by archaeologists João Pedro Bernardes (University of Algarve) and Celso Candeias (Municipality of Tavira), “Balsa, Cidade Romana” is also the result of the latest investigations carried out on the ground, within the scope of the “Balsa, Searching the Origins of the Algarve” project, promising to unravel mysteries and clarify misconceptions about this city that has captured the curiosity of many.

The exhibition is on display until September 28. The Museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 09h30 to13h00 and 14h00 to 16h30,  and is closed on Sundays, Mondays and public holidays.