The Acropolis Museum

Athens Museum Guide The Acropolis Museum

They closed this but are going to re-open it again I read.

 

Winter hours: 8:30am-2:30pm.
Summer hours: 8:30am-6:30pm.
Cost: 6 eu pp

The Acropolis gives you two choices of entrance fees: 6 eu for the Acropolis and old Acropolis Museum only or 12 eu which later ticket is valid for the major Archaeological Sites of Athens:
The Acropolis site and museum,
Ancient Greek Agora
Theatre of Dionysos,
Kerameikos,
Temple of Zeus
Roman Agora
Tower of Winds.

Days of free admission for all visitors.
all Sundays in the period between
1 November and 31 March
the first Sunday of every month,
except for July, August and September (when the first Sunday is holiday, then the second is the free admission day, etc.)
National holidays
6 March (in memory of Melina Mercouri)
18 April (International Monuments Day)
18 May (International Museums Day)
5 June (International Environment Day)
the last weekend of September every year (European Heritage Days)

Tel: 210-323-6665, 210-321-4172.
These hours can change and the museum is closed on holidays so call ahead.
The Calf Bearer (left) (Archaic)

Here are some high-lights of the Acropolis Museum, no substitute for a visit in person but a brief glimpse to give you an idea.

The Acropolis Museum is not a huge one with only 9 rooms. After all, many objects that rightfully belong here are in London, at the British Museum, compliments of Lord Elgin. No matter how you feel about that i.e., justified or not, that's the way it is for now anyway.

Construction its end for a new Acropolis Museum which is below the Acropolis and right at the Acropolis Metro stop. It will be a big deal for Greece because its a big space and there are many new dscoveries to be exhibited from the metro finds as well as recently returned stolen art.

The current Acropolis Museum is actually up high on the Acropolis itself in its SE corner, behind and below the Parthenon.

Right Archaic Kore #674.

Incidentally, a "Kore" or Kori in modern Greek means duaghter. Maybe it did back then too and there are male versions called Kouros too!

One can safely say that the Acropolis museum is the second or third most important museum in Greece after the National Archeology Museum and Heraklion Crete Museum and one of the most important in the world in terms of the history of art. There is no question if all the art stolen from it was returned that it would rank much higher as one of the most important museum wolrd wide.

The Acropolis Museum was the first museum in modern Greece to be built specifically as a museum and constructed during the years 1865-1874. Within are works of art from the Archaic and Classical periods of Greek history.

There were other temples and even Parthenon's constructed here  on this "sacred rock" previous to the ones you will see on site.

Many of these art works come from those previous structures. Left the original Karyatids from the Erechtheum.

In fact many of the Acropolis' finest discoveries are in the National Archeology Museum. This may change when the new Acropolis Museum is completed.

 

The present Acropolis Museum contains architectural sculptures and votive offerings that once decorated the buildings on the Acropolis.

The more severe style is "archaic" and the more fluid in detail and features "classical"

Below a Freize Temple Athina Nike, another of Hercules fighting Triton and a model of the New Acropolis Museum.

Below Room 3: Archaic Sculptures Room 4: "Rampin Horesman" in rear Room 5: Pediment Archaic Temple Athina

Room 6: Kritian Boy & Blond Youth Room 6: Kores (Daughters) collection Room 7: Parthenon Remaining Sculptures

Room 8: Remaining Parthenon Freize Room 1: Lioness Attacking a Bull