Lapidarium

For a gem artisan, see lapidary. For other uses, see Lapidarium (disambiguation).

A lapidarium is a place where stone (Latin: lapis) monuments and fragments of archaeological interest are exhibited.^[1]

The lapidarium section in the Aquincum Museum, Budapest, Hungary

Lapidarium, Brussels

Lapidarium with epitaphs in the Schottenstift (Scottish Abbey), Vienna

They can include stone epigraphs; statues; architectural elements such as columns, cornices, and acroterions; bas reliefs, tombstones; and sarcophagi.

Such collections are often displayed in the outdoor courtyards of archaeology museums and history museums.

A lapidary museum could either be a lapidarium or – less often – a gem museum (e.g. the Mineral and Lapidary Museum, North Carolina).

Examples

• The Lapidarium (in the National Museum), Prague, Czechia
• The Lapidarium, Kerch, Crimea, Ukraine
• The Lapidarium of Kings, Copenhagen, Denmark
• The Museo lapidario maffeiano [it] (museum-lapidarium of Maffei), Verona, Italy
• The Lapidary Museum, Avignon, France
• The Estense Lapidary Museum, Modena, Italy
• Split Archaeological Museum
• Samharam Lapidarium,^[2] Khor Rowri, Oman.
• Memphite Lapidarium (Mit Rahina, Egypt) ^[3]

See also

• A glyptotheque, a sculpture museum, usually stone sculptures
• A Lithotheque, an academic collection of natural stone samples