Established in 1911, by will of Senator Domenico Ridola who donated his important archaeological collections to the State, the museum presents the important archaeological evidence found in the Matera area. In the exhibition spaces the finds follow a chronological and topographical order. In the prehistoric section the most significant discoveries concern the entrenched villages of the Neolithic age, which testify, starting from the 6th millennium BC, the introduction of agriculture and consequently the structuring of stable settlements, according to models defined in the Eastern Mediterranean. For the most recent phases of prehistory and for the 6th-4th century BC phase, the documentation of greatest interest relates to Timmari, located a short distance from Matera. From this center come, among other things, some funerary objects from the 4th century BC characterized by bronze armor and monumental red-figure vases and numerous votive statuettes, of fine workmanship, found in a sacred area.