This morning I started my day with takeaway cappuccinos from the corner cafe and yesterday’s quiches purchased at a nearby bakery.  As I sipped my delicious morning kick-start, I opened my map of Athens, located my apartment in the middle of it….then mapped out where I wanted to go and how to get there.

My first outing, the National  Archaeological Museum, is located almost across the street from the Airbnb apartment I’m renting.  I can see the back of the museum from the patio.

So, off I went!  As I walked along the side of the museum, there were many stone pieces from ancient Greece placed there.  This immediately reminded me of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo.  This museum was overflowing with ancient Egyptian artifacts.  I wondered what the inside of this museum would be like…

The front courtyard of the museum has a treed garden with a restaurant.

 

Once inside, I paid10 Euros for the ticket to enter. I was then directed on how to walk through the museum.

About an hour in, I realized like other major museums I’ve been in, this one was too big to take in in one visit.  Today I will show you what I looked at on the main floor.

Below is a picture of the main floor map and legend. The main entrance is Numbers 1-2 – that says ‘You Are Here’.  The prehistoric collection is number 3-6 in the shaded light-green section.

The Prehistoric Collection

I was overwhelmed with the many different periods of the prehistoric collections.  Below are a few examples of the information to read about the different prehistoric civilizations.

 

Now I will post pictures of some of the artifacts that caught my eye and were reminiscent of what I remember seeing pictures of Ancient Greece in history books when I was child.

Funerary Steles

Funeral Death Masks

Funeral Death Mask with Breastplate and Cup

Death Mask with Breastplate 

Gold Jewelry with a Diadem

Amber Necklaces

Gold Shaped Animals

Wall Paintings from the Acropolis of Mycenae

Funerary Figurines

Mycenae Acropolis Jar and Vase

Tiryns Palace Wall Paintings

Gold Signet Ring

Gold Jewelry

Part of the Atreus Tholos Tomb

Next I entered into Blue 21 & 34 Sculpture Collections and 35 – Portrait at the Stairs

Sculpture Collections

Bronze Statue of a Horse and Young Jockey

The Atalante Hermes

Statuette of Pan

The Youth of Mantinea

Portrait at the Stairs

Next was the Bronze Collection – 36-39 – light yellowish color.

Bronze Collection

Bronze Statue of a Youth

Helmets

Spartan Gorgon’s Head

Right Hand of a Larger Than Life Male Statue

Bronze Parts of a Chariot of the Roman Period

 

At this point, I wandered into other collections on the ground floor.  I was getting tired, and the crowds were increasing at an alarming rate.  It was time to go.  Here is the last piece I photographed as I made my way to leave.

Bronze Statue of Zeus or Poseidon

 

It was time to eat!  I grabbed a table at the restaurant outside the museum.  I enjoyed a greek salad and a greek coffee.  I enjoyed the greek coffee served with cherries soaked in a syrup.  You take a drink of the coffee, then have a cherry!  Yummy!  The greek salad – delicious!!

S, xo