Until 1960, the building was a college for Jesuit fathers, and the Italian State took over ownership, in 1981. At this point, the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme transformed from a college to the headquarters of the National Roman Museum. On four floors the museum houses its extensive collection of artwork and artifacts from both of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. On the ground, first and second floors, visitors can view ancient art. The basement stores the numismatic and goldsmith sections.

Sleeping Hermaphrodite

First found in a domus at the Opera House, the Roman replica of the Greek statue Sleeping Hermaphrodite was sculpted in the Antonine age. Originally created in the 2nd centruy B.C.E, the Sleeping Hermaphrodite tells the ancient mythological tale of the nymph Salmacis and Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite. In the myth, Salmacis falls in love with Hermaphroditus and asks the Gods to join their bodies.