Orléanais Historical and Archaeological Museum

The Historical and Archaeological Museum is housed in the Hôtel Cabu, a fine 16th-century Renaissance building in the old town. The collection spans from prehistoric times through the medieval period, with particular strength in the Gallo-Roman material from the region — Orléans was the important Roman city of Cenabum, and the excavations around it have produced remarkable finds.

The Treasure of Neuvy-en-Sullias — bronze Gallo-Roman figurines including the celebrated dancing horse — is the undisputed highlight. But the medieval floor, with objects from the 5th to 15th centuries, is also strong, and the building itself is worth seeing for its carved courtyard facade.

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A story
The museum's most famous object is the Treasure of Neuvy-en-Sullias, a hoard of Gallo-Roman bronze figurines discovered in 1861. Among them is a dancing horse — a bronze of unusual quality and expressiveness — dated to around the 1st or 2nd century AD. Nobody is certain whether it was buried to hide it from raiders or as a ritual deposit.