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Athens (Attica) | Attica | Athens City

The Acropolis of Athens Old Museum

Introduction

The Museum existing until lately on the Acropolis rock was considered among the most important ones in the world and definitely the most important one as far as the History of European Art is concerned. It was built on the Acropolis Hill in 1874, in such a way that it would not aesthetically interfere with the Temples, nor be visible from anywhere within the city of Athens.

The excavations that followed, toward the end of the 19th century, unearthed a wealth of finds which were impossible to exhibit in the limited space of the Museum. Thus, the inscriptions, bronzes, clay objects, and a variety of other items were kept in the National Archaeological Museum, where they were originally taken for conservation. The situation was aggravated after all the marble pieces were removed from the Parthenon Friezes (that is, what was left over after Elgin's plunder) and were put in the museum, together with the Caryatids (the marble statues of the women supporting the roof of the south porch of the Erechtheion), all of which were removed to be kept in an air-tight window containing nitrogen, so as to stop air pollution from deteriorating the marble surfaces.

The collections of the museum included:

Sculptural offerings of the Archaic period
Pediments of temples dated to the Archaic period
Archaic Horsemen
Sculptures of the "Severe" style
Pediments and metopes from the Parthenon
The Parthenon frieze
The Erechtheion frieze
Parapets of the Athena Nike temple
Frieze of the Athena Nike temple
The Caryatids
Clay figurines and vases from the sanctuary of the Nymphs.

Everyone was eagerly anticipating the completion of the new Acropolis Museum, for the total wealth of finds related to the Acropolis and the Parthenon to finally be exhibited in the best possible way (combining location, lighting, space, air filtering and thematic consistency), and thus deprive the descendants of Lord Elgin of all plausible excuses to insist that the Parthenon Marbles continue to be kept separated from the rest of their like and the Parthenon remain in its mutilated state.

During 2008, the exhibits of this Museun were transferred to the New Museum, the erection of which was completed. Three huge cranes were used to carry all the heavy marble statues and exhibits, a total of some 4,500 artifacts from the old, cramped Acropolis museum, a task that was the biggest airlift of antiquities in Greek history. It was the first time the artifacts — some of which are considered among the most important works of antiquity — were moved from the very Acropolis Rock. This transfer was completed in the end of spring but putting up the exhibits in their right place would take a lot longer.

We thought that the present Album would become useless after the New Museum's inauguration. Nevertheless, the decision of the museum authorities to prohibit taking photographs of the exhibits in their new surrounding created more problems than the ones it was supposed to solve. We admit that the decision was well meant, but, with all due respect, we would like to point out that times have changed; we are afraid that whatever is not shown online cannot achieve the level of promotion that it may be worthy of. We managed, though, to get a number of photos of the exhibits, as the decision was taken a couple of weeks after the museum's inauguration. We are working on them and will do our best to put them up as soon as possible. But, in our effort to best present the exhibits, we are sorry to have to use some of the photos taken at the Old Acropolis Museum. Until the New Acropolis Museum album is online, please enjoy the marvellous artifacts at their old "home".

(Photos: Michael Tziotis)

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Click on any of the pictures to enlarge.

Vestibule

Contains marble sculptures of the 5th and 4th century BC, The Prokne of Alkamenes, Head of Alexander the Great, the base of Attaryvos, Hermes Propylaeos and a relief with a decree containing a treaty between Athens and Samos.


Akr 1338. Base of Attaryvos Dedication

Akr 1338. Base of Attaryvos Dedication


Two blocks from a large marble base which supported Attaryvos dedication, made in honor of his victory in the contest for pyrrhic dancers, as the inscription tells us. Nothing is preserved of the two bronze statues that originally stood on the base, except for remains of the statue attachments. Represented are groups of male figures, wearing cloaks, perhaps boys’ dance, and groups of naked youths, pyrrhic dancers, holding their shields. Third Quarter of the 4th century B.C.
Akr 1326. Relief of a four-horse chariot and an Apobates

Akr 1326. Relief of a four-horse chariot and an Apobates


Part of a marble base for a dedication with the relief representation of a four-horse chariot and an apobates. The composition resembles a representation on Parthenon, on the frieze block XVII (Akr 859) on display in Gallery 8. During the apobasis, a part of chariot racing contest, a hoplite dismounts and then remounts a moving at full speed chariot during the final meters of the race. The base is dated to circa 400B.C.
Akr 1331. Head of Alexander the Great.

Akr 1331. Head of Alexander the Great.


The Macedonian king is represented as a youth with luxuriantly wavy locks which rise upward from above the middle of his forehead like a lions mane, the characteristic “anastole” known from all Alexander portraits.
Akr 1331. Head of Alexander the Great (Closeup).

Akr 1331. Head of Alexander the Great (Closeup).


Probably an original work of sculptor Leochares, carved around 330 B.C.
Akr 1358.  Statue of Prokne

Akr 1358. Statue of Prokne


Statue of Prokne, daughter of Pandion, the legendary king of Athens; according to the myth, Prokne took revenge on her husband Tereus for betraying her by murdering their son Itys. The little boy, clinging to Prokne, does not suspect his mother for holding the murderous knife. The statue is made of Parian marble and it is attributed to the sculptor Alkamenes, disciple and collaborator of Pheidias at the Parthenon. Around 430B.C.
Akr 1358.  Statue of Prokne (Detail)

Akr 1358. Statue of Prokne (Detail)
Akr 1352. Colossal Head of Parian Marble

Akr 1352. Colossal Head of Parian Marble


Found near the sanctuary of Athena Hygieia east of the Propylaea. The hair is arranged in wavy locks around the forehead; a short central braid in front lies on top of two long braids bound around the head crossing over each other. The face has been damaged by hammering, probably the result of deliberate mutilation by Christians, when the new religion prevailed in Athens. The work is dated to around 330 B.C. on the basis of the Praxitelean style. G. Despinis has identified the head as deriving from the cult statue of Artemis Vrauronia, a work of Praxiteles, set up in the sanctuary of the goddess as Pausanias informs us: “And I saw other things on the Acropolis of Athens… and a sanctuary of Vrauronean Artemis; the image is a work of Praxiteles. The goddess gets her epithet from the township of Vrauron.”
Akr 1333.  Relief Stele with the Samian Honorary Decree

Akr 1333. Relief Stele with the Samian Honorary Decree


The relief depicts Hera and Athena, patron deities of Samos and Athens respectively, clasping hands. According to the inscription, the demos of the Athenians honor the Samians, because they remained loyal to them after the defeat of the Athenian fleet at Aigos Potamoi by the Spartans, although the rest of their allies revolted. The text is a copy of the original decree issued in 405B.C., inscribed in 403/2 B.C.
Akr 1333. Relief Stele with the Samian Honorary Decree

Akr 1333. Relief Stele with the Samian Honorary Decree
Akr 1333. Part of the Relief Stele with the Samian Honorary Decree

Akr 1333. Part of the Relief Stele with the Samian Honorary Decree


The part of the stele with the text inscription. Though it cannot be read but by experts, we have included this photo to justify the height of the stele in the previous picture, where no text at all is distinguishable.
Akr 2281. A herm of Pentelic marble.

Akr 2281. A herm of Pentelic marble.


The head is a 1st century BC. Copy of the Hermes Propylaios, a work by the sculptor Alkamenes, set up at the Propylaia around 430 BC. Heads of this type are called archaistic because, although they were made after the Archaic Period, certain details are characteristic of the archaic style, such as the four rows of snail-shell curls over the forehead and temples and the full beard. The shaft of the stele is a modern reconstruction.

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