This two-storey museum takes you deep into the past, beginning with 430,000-year-old fossils found in the Sierra de Atapuerca. On the 2nd floor, along the romp through the ages, you'll see models of early fortified villages, Celtiberian carvings, and statues and fragments from the Roman period; descend into the Visigothic times and the ensuing Middle Ages. Stones for catapults, a 10th-century trephined skull and jewellery from the 1200s are other curiosities.
The signature piece is a 12m-long sailboat – substantial fragments of the vessel at least – dating from the 15th century, which shows just how long the Basque people have had this obsession with the sea.
Interactive touch screens give details on tool creation, funerary rites and rock carvings. Labelling is in Spanish and Basque only, though there is an audio guide for Android users.
