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The collection
It holds artifacts from across Greece, from prehistory to late antiquity
The National Archaeological Museum in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from archaeological locations around Greece, from prehistory to late antiquity. It is described as holding the richest collection of Greek antiquity artifacts worldwide.
Beginnings
The first national museum was founded on Aigina in 1829
The first national archaeological museum in Greece was established by the governor Ioannis Kapodistrias in Aigina in 1829. The present building was begun in 1866 and completed in 1889. Eleni Tositsa donated the land for it.
The war
The antiquities were sealed in boxes and buried during the war
During World War II the museum was closed, and the antiquities were sealed in special protective boxes and buried, to avoid their destruction and looting. In 1945 the exhibits were displayed again.
Mycenae
Schliemann's golden funerary masks are the Mycenaean highlight
The Mycenaean collection includes the 19th-century finds of Heinrich Schliemann in Mycenae, from Grave Circle A and the earlier Grave Circle B. Most notable are the golden funerary masks that covered the faces of Mycenaean nobles. The most famous was named erroneously the mask of Agamemnon.
Islands, Egypt
Cycladic figurines, and an Egyptian collection of more than 6000 items
The Cycladic collection features marble figurines from the Aegean Islands of Delos and Keros, including the Lutist. The Egyptian collection includes more than 6000 artefacts, of which 1100 are available to the public. Its centrepiece is a bronze statue of the princess-priestess Takushit.
70 cmheight of the bronze statue of Takushit
Day 3, morning
Next is Benaki Museum.
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