Lugdunum - Musée et Théâtres Romains

Lugdunum - Musée et Théâtres Romains is the archaeological museum of Roman Lyon, at 17 Rue Cléberg on the slope of Fourvière hill in the 5th arrondissement, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. It was designed by the architect Bernard Zehrfuss and opened in 1975, and its concrete building is sunk into the hillside beside the Roman theatres so that it does not disturb the view of the site. The museum covers the history of Lugdunum from its founding in 43 BCE, when Lucius Munatius Plancus established a Roman colony at the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône, through its time as capital of the Three Gauls to the decline of the city in the 3rd century CE. The collections come largely from excavations on Fourvière and the surrounding area, and are shown in a chronological and thematic sequence across ramped galleries. Notable pieces include the Claudian Tablet, a bronze plaque bearing the speech of the emperor Claudius, born in Lugdunum in 10 BCE, to the Roman Senate in 48 CE. The museum also holds large mosaics, including the Circus Mosaic showing chariot races, and the Games Mosaic, along with sculpture, funerary stelae, inscriptions, glassware, coins and everyday objects. Displays explain trade on the rivers, public buildings, religion and the imperial cult of the Three Gauls. The building offers views over the theatres through its windows, and a path links it directly to the Great Theatre and the Odeon. The museum is operated by the Métropole de Lyon, and it forms part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Site of Lyon. Temporary exhibitions complement the permanent collection and affect the ticket price at certain times. Education programmes and workshops cater to school groups and families.