The archaeological park includes several finds of the ancient town of Gnathia, located in an excellent position on the sea and on the ancient road connecting Bari and Brindisi.

The walls probably date back to the Messapian age. They wounded up in a semi-circle defending the town from the inland, while their extension along the coast was subsequent. Outside the walls, there was the necropolis known as the western one, of Messapian age, with tombs of different centuries and rites. Within the walls there were some pre-Roman tombs.

Among the tomb sets found in the necropolis, the painted vases known as “Egnazia ceramic” have a particular importance. At the foot of the Acropolis, was a system of arcades overlooking a large irregular square (agora) and the monumental centre of the city subsequently built in the Roman age: the civil basilica, the Eastern gods’ sacellum, the so-called amphitheatre, the forum; the inhabited centre and the productive structures were on the other side of the Via Traiana, the main city street. The museum is outside the walls.