Gozo Museum of Archaeology

Explore the cultural history of Gozo from prehistoric times to the early modern period in the heart of the citadel at the Gozo Museum of Archaeology. Making use of material from various archaeological sites in Gozo, the museum illustrates the island’s rich heritage through thematic displays.

Located immediately behind the original gateway to the Citadel, the Gozo Museum of Archaeology is housed in a refined 17th-century townhouse that was once the residence of the Bondì family. Subsequently, it fell into disuse and remained long neglected until Sir Harry Luke, Lieutenant Governor of the Maltese Islands, took it upon himself to restore it in 1937.

In May 1960, Casa Bondì was inaugurated as the first public museum of Gozo, hosting artefacts of an archaeological and ethnographic nature. The building came to house the archaeological collection in 1986 as part of a reorganisation programme of the Gozo museum collection which led to separate collections being exhibited in various buildings in the Citadel.

The museum’s permanent display is, at present, divided into three main sections: Prehistory, the Classical Period, and the Mediaeval and Early Modern periods.

The Prehistoric display focuses on many themes, including natural resources, subsistence, daily life, religious beliefs and practices, and burial customs. The Classical Period is represented by a number of Phoenician, Punic, and Roman artefacts, which were discovered on several sites in Gozo and Comino. The artefacts range from those associated with burial to statuary and the decorative arts. The museum visit continues with a display of materials from the Mediaeval and Early Modern Periods, ending with the arrival of the Knights of St John.