The Monographic Museum of Conimbriga near Coimbra (PT) was inaugurated in 1962 to continue the archaeological excavations, the protection, conservation, study and public promotion of the ruins, the finds and the environment of ancient Conimbriga. These ruins had been identified as the oppidum of Conimbriga (mentioned by Pliny the Elder and in the Itinerary of Antonine) since the Renaissance, and soundings were made since the end of the 19th century. A vast and extensive project of consolidation and reconstruction of the discovered structures took place in the 1940s and 50s, during Salazar's Estado Novo regime, and in line with the dominant ideological requirements of national promotion and anchoring into the past. As part of our participation in the AREA project, we will build on the history of excavation, interpretation and public presentation of the site, as notably revealed through our extensive archives, in order to contribute to a broader study of the relations between archaeology, dictatorship and political appropriation in the 20th century.