MNAT is the museum of Tarraco, capital of Hispania Citerior / Tarraconensis. Its strength is that it manages not only a collection but also several monuments connected with the Roman city.
Tarraco provides evidence for provincial administration, urban topography, theatre, cemeteries, villas, quarries and Roman infrastructure in Spain. It is a different Spanish centre that complements Merida.
MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona: Marble portrait of the prince Nero Julius Caesar, found in the area of the Colonial Forum where it would have been part of a gallery of statues of the imperial family, Na.MNAT’s collections are linked to Tarraco and its surrounding sites, including the theatre, necropolis, Els Munts villa and the Centcelles complex. Together they distinguish the archaeological contexts of a provincial capital, rural residences and Late Antique transformation. Access to individual sites should be checked on the museum’s official website.
Urban finds, epigraphy, sculpture, mosaics, cemetery material, the villa of Els Munts, Centcelles and the link between museum and monuments deserve attention. The city should be read as a network of sites, not a single display.
Statue of Antinous, Paros marble, from the Villa of Els Munts, National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona, Spain (51624435722). Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.




Fragment of a monumental inscription referring to the construction of a gate in the amphitheatre of Tarraco by a flamen of the Provincia Hispania Citerior, 2nd century AD. Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.
Tarragona Museum sculpture shield. Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.
Portrait of the young Marcus Aurelius aged 23, found near the Colonial Forum, National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona, Spain (51713352640). Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.
Tarragona Museum relief harvest scene. Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.
Tarragona Museum Mosaic Euterpe. Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.
Mosaic of the Triumph of Bacchus. Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.
Tarragona MNAT Medusa mosaic 03. Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.
Mosaic of the stations. Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.
Mosaic of Medusa (Detail). Object from the collection: MNAT: National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona.Interested in Ancient Rome beyond reading? Join Legio X Fretensis or explore our reenactment directions.