The Archaeological Museum in Zagreb has over 450,000 varied artifacts and monuments, gathered from various sources but mostly from Croatia and in particular from the surroundings of Zagreb.
The archaeological collection of the State Institute had been kept in the Academy mansion at Zrinski Square from the 1880s and remained there until 1945, when the museum moved to its current location at the 19th-century Vranyczany-Hafner mansion, 19 Zrinski Square.
The museum consists of five main sections: Prehistory, Egypt, Antiquity, Middle Ages, Coins and Medals. The section 'Prehistory' contains 78,000 objects, ranging from the Paleolithic to the Late Iron Age. The section 'Egypt' displays about 600 objects in the permanent exhibition. The section 'Antiquity' contains an important collection of Greek vases (about 1,500 vessels) and stones with inscriptions.
The Roman Antiquity is represented by many statues, military equipment, metal objects, Roman religion and art and objects from everyday life, acquired through systematic archaeological excavations in various Croatian regions in many Croatian cities founded during the Roman Empire. The numismatic section is among the largest collections of this type in Europe.
Some of the famous artifacts include Vučedol dove, a flagon shaped as a bird, Liber Linteus, 3rd century BCE mummy and bandages with the longest Etruscan inscription in existence and Lumbarda Psephisma, 4th century BCE stone inscription detailing the founding of an ancient Greek colony on the island of Korčula.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.