Benevento - Museo Arcos

Due to its location and importance, Benevento was an important base for Roman rule in southern Italy for centuries. After the expansion of the Lombards, Benevento became the seat of Lombard dukes but repeatedly fell into dependence on the Franks and the German emperors. In 840, Benevento was occupied by the Muslims for a few years. The city has been the seat of the Archbishopric of Benevento since 969. In 1047 it fell into the hands of Norman princes with the exception of the city, which Emperor Henry III gave to Leo IX in 1053. In the 11th and 12th centuries, four councils were held in Benevento.

On February 26, 1266, in the Battle of Benevento, the Hohenstaufen Manfred, natural son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, was defeated by Charles of Anjou, after which the latter seized Apulia, Sicily, and Tuscia.


In the 2nd century BC, the cult of Isis became popular in Egypt and spread throughout the Roman Empire. A center of the cult developed in Benevento. Already in the 19th century Egyptian artifacts were found several times. In 1903, several statues of Isis were found at the foot of a Longobard wall, which had been used as fill material for the wall's foundation. Even after 2000, more Egyptian artifacts were found during construction work.

This is how the Egyptian section of the Museo del Sannio was founded. It is located in the Arcos Museum.