The construction of the Archaeology and Ethnography Museum in the Samsun Fair Grounds began in 1976 and the museum was opened to the public on 19 May 1981. Chalcolithic, Early Bronze Age, Hittite, Hellenistic and Roman artefacts found in and around Samsun are exhibited in the museum. The most outstanding collection of the museum is the finds from the ancient city of Amisos and the Amisos treasure found in a burial chamber in the city. Of particular importance are the gold jewellery of a man, a woman and a girl found in the burial chamber. These Hellenistic artefacts are indicative of the art and craftsmanship of the period. Bronze spearheads with reliefs on both sides, pierced skulls from the Early Bronze Age and a bronze statue of a naked athlete from the 5th century BC, which is a copy of the original, are also popular artefacts in the museum. The museum also has coins from the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Ottoman and Republican periods. The museum also has an ethnographic artefacts section.