The National Archaeological Museum is Greece's largest museum and one of the world's most important for ancient art. Founded in 1829, in the first years of the independent state, it has occupied since 1889 a large neoclassical building on Patission Street (officially 28 Oktovriou Street), designed by Ludwig Lange and completed by Ernst Ziller, north of Omonia Square. Its galleries tell the story of Greek civilisation from the Neolithic to late antiquity with more than eleven thousand objects from across the country. A major expansion project is planned, but the museum stays open during the works.
Masterpieces not to miss
| Gallery | Masterpiece | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Prehistory | Mask of Agamemnon | The gold mask found by Heinrich Schliemann at Mycenae in 1876, now dated about three centuries before the Trojan War |
| Prehistory | Vapheio cups | Two gold cups with bull-catching scenes, masterpieces of Minoan-Mycenaean goldwork |
| Prehistory | Harp player from Keros | Cycladic marble figurine of the 3rd millennium BC, with pared-down, modern forms |
| Sculpture | Anavyssos Kouros (Kroisos) | Archaic youth commemorating a fallen warrior, with the typical smile of the 6th century BC |
| Sculpture | Phrasikleia Kore | Archaic funerary statue that keeps much of its original colour |
| Bronzes | Artemision god | Bronze of about 460 BC, Zeus or Poseidon about to throw, recovered from the sea in 1926-1928 |
| Bronzes | Artemision Jockey | A boy on a galloping horse, from the same wreck |
| Bronzes | Antikythera Youth | 4th-century BC bronze from the Antikythera wreck |
| Bronzes | Antikythera mechanism | The bronze gearwork that calculated the movements of the Sun and Moon, the oldest known computer |
| Sculpture | Aphrodite, Pan and Eros | Hellenistic group from Delos, playful and sensual |
| Frescoes | Akrotiri frescoes | Bronze Age wall paintings from Santorini, with spring and the boxing boys |
The collections
Prehistory. At the centre of the building, the great Mycenaean hall displays the grave goods of the royal tombs of Mycenae, with masks, diadems, inlaid swords and jewellery, together with finds from Pylos and Tiryns. The side rooms are devoted to the Neolithic and Cycladic civilisation, with marble idols of every size.
Sculpture. A chronological route from the Daedalic sculpture of the 7th century BC to the archaic kouroi, the funerary reliefs of the classical age, Hellenistic works and Roman portraits. You can see the human figure gradually becoming natural and full of movement. See ancient Greek art.
Bronzes. Many of the great Greek bronzes survived only because they fell into the sea in shipwrecks: the museum has an extraordinary collection, along with a room devoted to the Antikythera wreck.
Vases and minor arts. From geometric pottery to black- and red-figure amphorae, with scenes of myth, sport and daily life: an illustrated book of Greek culture. The Stathatos collection displays jewellery and precious objects.
Egypt and Cyprus. The museum also has a rich Egyptian collection, with mummies, statues and Fayum portraits, and a Cypriot section.
Practical information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Address | 28 Oktovriou (Patission) 44 |
| Getting there | Metro Viktoria (green line 1), about 10 minutes on foot; or Omonia (lines 1 and 2), about 12 minutes; several trolleybus lines stop outside |
| Ticket | About 20 euros full price; free for EU citizens up to 25; free entry on certain days |
| Opening hours | Usually daily, with shorter hours on Tuesday mornings and in winter; check the ministry site (odysseus.culture.gr) |
| Time | At least 3 hours; half a day to see everything |
| Facilities | Café in the inner garden, shop, cloakroom |
Tips
- The museum is big: if you are short of time, focus on the Mycenaean hall, the Cycladic room, the bronzes and the Antikythera room.
- In the hot hours it is an excellent refuge, and usually less crowded than the Acropolis Museum.
- The surrounding area, between Omonia and Exarchia, is lively but somewhat run-down: be careful in the evening. Exarchia, a few steps away, has interesting bookshops and cafés. See alternative neighbourhoods.
- Combine the visit with the nearby Polytechnic, scene of the student uprising of November 1973 against the colonels' dictatorship.
See also the Acropolis Museum, all Athens museums and archaeology in Greece.