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National Archaeological Museum of Athens - Prehistoric Collection

The New York Times has recently (April 2008) published an article on Athens. In it there is a reference to the National Archaeological Museum of Athens: "In neighboring Exarcheia, the renovated National Archaeological Museum (Patission 44; 30-210-821-7724) has classical sculptures and gold treasures from Mycenae". We think of this reference as being the Understatement of the century!

Athens National Archaeological Museum:
Exhibit 624. Gold death-mask, known as
the 'mask of Agamemnon'. (Grave V,
Grave Circle A, Mycenae, 16th century BC)

This is because the Greek National Archaeological Museum in Athens is rightfully considered to be not only the most important, yet also one of the richest archaeological museums in the world in terms of containing Ancient Greek Art! Please refer to the relevant Album as proof of how much right we are!

The Greek National Archaeological Museum is housed in a neoclassical building designed by the noted German architect Ernst Ziller in 1889. It houses perhaps the most impressive collection of ancient Greek treasures in the world. The neoclassical design of the exterior tries its best to keep up with the true Greek classic style of the works it houses. This museum includes the golden so-called "Mask of Agamemnon", excavated by Heinrich Schliemann at ancient Mycenae, the bronze "boy jockey" of Artemision that somehow stayed in great condition despite being fished out of the sea, and a range of excellent sculptures, pottery, furniture and jewellery.

Further wonderful inclusions are:

Prehistoric items/Ruins
Sculpture
Pottery and Minor art
Bronzes
Egyptian Art

Operating Hours are as follows:
Monday 13.00-19.30
Tuesday-Sunday 08.30-15.00

Telephone Contact: 210/821-7717 Address: 44, 28th Oktovriou (Patission) Ave, Athens, Greece

Gallery IV / Mycenaean Civilization / Mycenae / Grave Circle A / Finds from Grave V, 16th century BC.

An introductory text on MYCENAE’S GRAVE CIRCLE A is to be found in a previous album page, "Gallery IV / Mycenaean Civilization / Mycenae / Grave Circle A / Finds from Graves I, II and VI, 16th century BC". Please refer to this page to also have a brief description of the finds in all six graves belonging to Grave Circle A.

Shaft Grave V
It contained three male burials. Two of the deceased wore gold death-masks, one of which is known as the “Mask Of Agamemnon”, a conventional name, since it is dated four hundred years earlier than the Trojan War. The grave gifts included gold breastplates, elaborate bronze swords and daggers with inlaid decoration, gold and silver vessels, an ostrich egg rhyton with applied faïence dolphins, and a wooden hexagonal pyxis with gold revetment. There was less gold jewelry than in the female graves, but a great number of amber beads.

Athens National Archaeological Museum: Gallery IV / Grave Circle A / Finds from Grave V, Mycenae, 16th century BC. (General Photo of Window)

Athens National Archaeological Museum: Exhibit 624. Gold death-mask, known as the 'mask of Agamemnon'. (Grave V, Grave Circle A, Mycenae, 16th century BC)

This mask depicts the imposing face of a bearded man. It is made of a gold sheet with repoussé details. Two holes near the ears indicate that the mask was held in place over the deceased's face with twine. The name given to this mask is conventional, since it is dated four hundred years earlier than the Trojan War.

Athens National Archaeological Museum: Exhibit 623. Gold death-mask of a man

Made of a gold sheet with repoussé details. The gold mask is the exclusive funerary apparel of Mycenaean males.

625. Gold funerary breastplate, decorated with repoussé spirals.

Two repoussé circles indicate the nipples. These breastplates are reminiscent of the luxurious Pharaonic Egyptian burials, where the mummified bodies were covered entirely with gold.

626. Gold funerary breastplate, not decorated.

629. Gold cup with rich spiral decoration.

689. Gold necklace consisting of ten foils, each shaped like a pair of antithetic eagles - a symbol of power.

744. Bronze dagger with inlaid decoration.

It bears a decoration of spirals The thin gold and silver decorative sheets are held in place on the bronze blade using a gold, silver, bronze alloy.

764. Bronze dagger with inlaid decoration of lilies.

This one has a gold revetment with repoussé lilies on the hilt and shoulders.The thin gold and silver decorative sheets are held in place on the bronze blade using a gold, silver, bronze alloy.

765. Bronze dagger with inlaid decoration of a Nilotic landscape (felines chasing aquatic birds among papyrus flowers),

765. Bronze dagger with inlaid decoration of a Nilotic landscape (felines chasing aquatic birds among papyrus flowers).

This photo shows the decoration on both sides

747. Short bronze sword decorated with relief griffins. These imaginary eagle-headed lions, symbols of power and dominion, are pictured here in flying gallop.

747. One more photo of this short bronze sword decorated with relief griffins.

808, 811. Wooden hexagonal pyxis decorated with repoussé gold plates.

The decoration depicts lions chasing a deer and an antelope among palm-trees, spirals and bovine heads. The latter, with their exaggerated eyes, dominate the composition. This is a unique find both because of the wood, which rarely survives from the Mycenaean period, but also because of the distinctive character of the scene depicted.

808, 811. Wooden hexagonal pyxis decorated with repoussé gold plates. (Close-up)

Greek Island Hopping Plus

	Hermes 15 Days / 14 Nights: Athens – Peleponnese – Athens, plus a 7-Day Cruise Nireus 15 Days / 14 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Andros (6 nights) - Tinos (6 nights) - Athens (1 night) Aeolos 15 Days / 14 Nights: Athens (1 night) – Syros (6 nights) – Tinos (6 nights) – Athens (1 night) Adonis 15 Days / 14 nights: Athens (1 night) – Tinos (6 nights) – Paros (6 nights) – Athens (1 night) Kratos 15 Days / 14 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Tinos (6 nights) - Naxos (6 nights) - Athens (1 night) Amphitrite 15 Days / 14 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Tinos (6 nights) - Santorini (6 nights) - Athens (1 night) Ulysses 14 Days / 13 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - Mykonos (3 nights) - Paros (2 nights) - Naxos (2 nights) - Santorini (3 nights) - Athens (1 night) Andromache 14 Days / 13 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Tinos (4 nights) - Mykonos (4 nights) - Santorini (4 nights) Kalypso 14 Days / 13 Nights: Athens (1 night) - 4-Day Classical Tour (3 nights) - Athens (1 night), plus City Tour - Mykonos (3 nights) - 4-Day Aegean Cruise - Athens (1 night) Pythagoras 14 Days / 13 Nights: Samos (3 nights) - Mykonos (3 nights), plus Delos Tour - Naxos (3 nights) - Santorini (3 nights) - Athens (1 night) Venus 14 Days / 13 Nights: Venice, Italy (3 nights) - 5-Day Greek Isles Cruise with Jade (4 nights) - Mykonos (3 nights) - Athens (3 nights), with City Tour Homer 14 Days / 13 Nights: Venice, Italy (2 nights) - 8-Day Greece & Turkey Cruise with Costa Allegra (8 nights) - Athens (3 nights), plus City Tour and Delphi Tour Hercules 13 Days / 12 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - Mykonos (3 nights) - Santorini (3 nights) - Crete (3 nights) - Athens (1 night) Harmonia 12 Days / 11 Nights: Athens (1 night) - 4-Day Classical Tour (3 nights) - Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - 4-Day Aegean Cruise - Athens (1 night) Orestes 12 Days / 11 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus Cape Sounion and Delphi Tours - 7-Day Aegean Cruise - Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour Hector 11 Days / 10 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - Mykonos (4 nights) - Santorini (4 nights) Leto 11 Days / 10 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - 7-day Aegean Cruise - Athens (1 night) Plato 11 Days / 10 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - 4-Day Classical Tour (3 nights) - Athens (1 night) - Mykonos (4 nights), plus Delos Tour Danae 10 Days / 9 Nights: Athens (1 night) - 3-Day Aegean Cruise - Athens (1 night) - 4-Day Classical Tour (3 nights) - Athens (1 night) Pegasus 10 days / 9 nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - Mykonos (3 nights) - 4-Day Aegean Cruise Menelaos 10 Days / 9 Nights: Athens (1 night), plus Cape Sounion Tour - 7-Day Aegean Cruise - Athens (1 night), plus City Tour Ganymedes 9 days / 8 nights: Athens (1 night) - Mykonos (3 nights) - Santorini (3 nights) - Athens (1 night) Poseidon 9 days / 8 nights: Athens (2 nights) - Mykonos (3 nights) - Santorini (3 nights), with 4 days of Diving and 2 Dives per day Iolaos 9 Days / 8 Nights: Athens (3 nights), plus City Tour and 1-Day Saronic Islands Cruise - 4-Day Classical Tour (3 nights) - Athens (2 nights) Thalia 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (2 nights) - Classical Greece, with Car Rental (4 nights) - Athens (1 night) Erato 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - 3-Day Classical Tour (2 nights) - Athens (3 nights), plus a 1-Day Saronic Islands Cruise Kalliope 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - 4-Day Classical Tour of Mainland Greece (3 nights) - Athens (2 nights) Hera 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - 3-Day Aegean Cruise - Athens (2 nights) Semeli 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - 4-Day Aegean Cruise - Athens (1 night) Aphrodite 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Mykonos (3 nights) - Santorini (2 nights) - Athens (1 night) Hedone 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Mykonos (5 nights) - Athens (1 night) Iris 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Rhodes (5 nights) - Athens (1 night) Artemis 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Rhodes (3 nights) - Kos (2 nights) - Athens (1 night) Psyche 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Corfu (5 nights) - Athens (1 night) Terpsichore 8 Days / 7 Nights - Athens (1 night) - Crete (5 nights) - Athens (1 night) Pothos 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Crete (3 nights) - Santorini (2 nights) - Athens (1 night) Eros 8 days / 7 nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - Mykonos (4 nights) - Athens (1 night) Narcissus 8 days / 7 nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - Mykonos (2 nights) - 4-Day Aegean Cruise Achilleas 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (1 night) - Santorini (5 nights) - Athens (1 night) Diomedes 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - Delphi (1 night) - Kalambaka (1 night) - Volos (2 nights) - Athens (1 night) Sappho 8 days / 7 nights: Athens (2 nights), plus City Tour - Lesvos (4 nights) - Athens (1 night) Galene 8 Days / 7 Nights: Athens (2 nights) - Mykonos (5 nights) - 5 Days of Diving; 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National Archaeological Museum of Athens - Prehistoric Collection

Note: Given the huge number of exhibits, this album on the National Archaeological Museum of Athens is progressing step by step: Please visit this Album from time to time to see it growing! (Photos: Michael Tziotis)

Gallery IV / Mycenaean Civilization / Mycenae / Grave Circle A / Finds from Grave V, 16th century BC.

Note: Given the huge number of exhibits, this album on the National Archaeological Museum of Athens is progressing step by step: Please visit this Album from time to time to see it growing!
(Photos: Michael Tziotis)