Museum of the Man of Altamura

Dario Melissano 27 February 2025

The Museum of Man of Altamura is located in the spaces of Palazzo Baldassarre, a building constructed between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century. Over the centuries, the Baldassarre family made numerous changes to the building, adapting it to the needs of the period. However, information regarding the different phases of construction and the subsequent transformations of the building are rather scarce. What is evident, however, is the heterogeneity of the structure, visible through the different techniques and materials used, in addition to the various decorative apparatuses, and the countless traces of openings and closings of rooms.

The most famous figures of the Baldassarre family were the brothers Michele and Giuseppe, who, for their courage and commitment, gave their name to one of the streets adjacent to the palace. Both were protagonists of the republican revolution of 1799 and, because of their actions, suffered arrest and persecution by the Bourbon reaction. Over the centuries, the family has played a central role in the life of the city, creating significant works such as the new sacristy of the Cathedral, the Clock Tower and the first shops located in Piazza Castello.

Palazzo Baldassarre currently hosts an information point relating to the museum network and other sites and monuments in the area, as well as an exhibition route dedicated to the biological evolution of man. This route explores the geological and climatic factors that influenced the process of hominization, illustrating the times, places and methods of evolution through educational panels and replicas of significant paleoanthropological finds. An aspect of particular relevance is the Altamura fossil, one of the most fascinating Neanderthal finds, which presents the results of interdisciplinary studies conducted to date. Inside this space, a physical reproduction in 1:1 scale of the so-called apse is exhibited, the portion of the Lamalunga Cave that houses the Neanderthal skeleton.

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Museum of the Man of Altamura

Written by Dario Melissano

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Museum of the Man of Altamura

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