Troia Exhibition at Colosseo: 300+ Artifacts from Myth to History
Over 300 artifacts, including more than 220 from 19 Turkish museums and about 50 never before seen in Italy, will be displayed at the Colosseo from June 12 to October 18, 2026. The exhibition, titled 'Troia e Roma. Miti, leggende, storie del Mediterraneo antico,' is organized under a 2025 bilateral cultural agreement between Italy and Turkey. It aims to reframe Troy as a real geopolitical hub rather than a mere myth. The show opens with a monumental replica of the Trojan Horse and is divided into four sections: archaeological reconstruction of Troy and its Hittite context; the Trojan War from the Trojan perspective (featuring Priam, Hecuba, Cassandra, Hector); the journey of Aeneas from Anatolia to Italy; and the foundation of Rome, tracing how the myth of Aeneas became a political tool culminating in Virgil's Aeneid.
Key facts
- Exhibition runs June 12 to October 18, 2026 at the Parco archeologico del Colosseo.
- Over 300 artifacts, with more than 220 from 19 Turkish museums and about 50 new to the Italian public.
- Organized under a 2025 bilateral cultural agreement between Italy and Turkey.
- Monumental replica of the Trojan Horse greets visitors.
- First section covers historical and topographical reconstruction of Troy, including Hittite context.
- Second section presents the Trojan War from the Trojan perspective (Priam, Hecuba, Cassandra, Hector).
- Third section follows Aeneas's journey from Anatolia to southern Italy, Sicily, and Lazio.
- Final section addresses the foundation of Rome and the political use of the Aeneas myth, culminating in Virgil's Aeneid.
Entities
Artists
- Heinrich Schliemann
- Omero
- Virgilio
- Priam
- Ecuba
- Cassandra
- Ettore
- Enea
- Romolo
Institutions
- Ministero della Cultura
- Parco archeologico del Colosseo
Locations
- Troia
- Colosseo
- Roma
- Italia
- Turchia
- Anatolia
- Sicilia
- Lazio
- Grecia
- Mediterraneo