The history of the MAEC begins in 1727, when the Etruscan Academy was born, which had among its statutory purposes the diffusion of historical and artistic culture through the fundamental instruments of the Library and the Museum; over the almost three centuries of life, the museum in particular underwent extraordinary developments, up until its final structuring in 2008. It is currently divided into two main sections dedicated respectively to the Etruscan Academy and to the Etruscan and Roman city of Cortona; the first contains evidence of the life and continuous activity of the city's most famous cultural institution, starting from the first bequests arranged by the academicians of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries or from the purchases gradually made: among the most valuable works are to be mentioned the Etruscan bronze chandelier, the so-called Musa Polimnia, the collection of Etruscan and Roman ceramics and bronzes , the Corbelli collection of materials from the Egyptian civilization; there is no shortage of more recent evidence, such as the impressive collection of art objects and furnishings formerly held by the Tommasi Baldelli family, one of the city's most famous families, or the series of works by the Cortonese painter Gino Severini, one of the founders of futurism, transferred to Cortona by the Master himself. Many archaeological materials from the city and the surrounding area are also presented.