Museum Carnuntinum

In the second half of the 19th century, the ancient city of Carnuntum became the focus of research scientists. Numerous excavation projects brought sensational finds to light. Very soon it became clear that a suitable setting for the evaluation and presentation of these witnesses to the Roman past would have to be created.

On the initiative of the society ‘Gesellschaft der Freunde Carnuntums’ (which was founded in 1885), the architects Friedrich Ohmann and August Kirstein were given the task of planning a museum for the “…finds from the area in Carnuntum and neighbourhood…”. The construction was solely financed by donations from members of the ‘Gesellschaft der Freunde Carnuntums’.

The building was erected mainly in the architectural style of a Roman villa. The Museum Carnuntinum was officially opened by Emperor Francis Joseph in person on 27 May 1904. Previously the finds had been split up among several private collections, but it now became possible to show them under one roof.

Today the Museum Carnuntinum is the treasure house of the Archaeological Park Carnuntum and possesses the most important collection of Roman Carnuntum. Exhibitions show the valuable objects from over 400 years of Roman settlement in the Carnuntum area. In addition, the Museum Carnuntinum is also a centre of scientific research. Current research projects bring the latest insights into life in ancient Carnuntum, providing plenty of material for future exhibitions.

Current Exhibition

Images of Gods – Images of Humanity

There were numerous gods and goddesses in ancient Roman religion.  They originated in different cultural traditions and with their great variety they are a reflection of more than 1000 years of Roman cultural history.

The classical Greek gods became fixed parts of the Roman pantheon with Latin names, joining the old Italic gods. Along with the gods, their mythology was also adopted, that is to say the stories which were woven around these figures and their relationships with one another.  The expansion of the Roman Empire brought further deities from different regions in Europe, Africa and the Near East.  Together they formed a varied and – according to the region – flexible community that covered all the concerns of the real world.  Human fears and troubles, but also organization structures and problem-solving strategies, are to be found in the ancient divine pantheon, just as in the Roman community to which the gods belonged. 

The ancient gods and goddesses take us back to a fictitious counterworld of their times, and thus directly to the people who created them.  The dominant element of the Exhibition is the replica of the Mithraeum on the ground floor – the architects designed the Museum around it.  The Mithras depiction which is on show in the Mithras cave was discovered in 1894.  It is the largest of a total of 6 Mithraea which have been found in Carnuntum.  The central image of all Mithras depictions is the god Mithras killing the bull.  Originally the Mithras depictions were remarkable for their strong colours. It is not possible to colour the relief directly for conservation reasons.  This is why an attempt has been made to show the ancient colours of this depiction with the help of projectors and light effects, as well as to give an impression of a cult cave.  Mithraea were also set up with special light effects in ancient times. 

Work in several stages was required to make the projection.  Using laser-scanning, a 3-dimensional model (accurate down to the last millimetre) was made, which then formed the basis for an animated programme which precisely calculated each point of light for the projection. Today the Museum has a large collection of objects which are connected with the practice of cults. There are almost 2000 stone monuments in the collection, and more than one quarter of these have a religious connection. 

Thus with this Exhibition at least a small part of the Museum’s collection of small finds that has not yet been scientifically evaluated can be examined and displayed.  And also many up to now “hidden” treasures from domestic and foreign museums can be shown here in a thematic connection and thus bring significant additions to the material available in Carnuntum. 

Badgasse 40-46, 2405 Bad Deutsch-Altenburg Information: Tel. +43 2163 33770 or  email