Collections of the Cycladic Art Museum
Collections of the Cycladic Art Museum
The collection of the Cycladic Art Museum is one of the most inclusive collections of Cycladic antiquities known to man, made up by an impressive number of marble figurines and vessels, bronze tools and weapons, as well as pottery from all phases of the Early Cycladic period.
CYCLADIC CULTURE
- Permanent Exhibition
- Early Cycladic, ranges from 3200 to 2000 B.C. featuring tools and weapons made of bronze.
- The Human Form, from the Early Bronze Era. The inhabitants of the Cycladic Islands used their local supplies of fine white marble to make both figurines and a variety of stone vases. Archaeologists organize the well-known stylized marble figurines in two basic types: schematic and naturalistic.
The Keros Enigma
One of the most interesting displays is a group of artifacts called the "Keros Hoard". A large number of broken figurines similar to the "Keros Hoard" are said to have been excavated at the island of Keros. This island is uninhibited today, but seems to have been an important place for the Early Bronze Age inhabitants.
Other Objects
The collection includes an impressive array of high quality marble figurines and vessels, some of the earliest copper artifacts in the Aegean, clay vases of practical and ritual use etc. It also includes:
- masterfully carved marble bowls, dishes, chalices and zoomorphic vessels.
- marble weight standards.
- metal artifacts, such as bronze tools and weapons, lead figurines and a small silver vessel.
- symbolic objects, such as the clay "frying pans", which were decorated with complex incised motifs alluding to the sea, the stars and female fertility.
ANCIENT GREEK ART
The beginnings of Greek art in the proto-historic Aegean, the expansion of Classical culture and its steady propagation spanning the Mediterranean basin highlights one of the most persuasive marvels in the history of western civilization. The MCA houses a massive collection of Ancient Greek Art with demonstrative peices from all periods between the Middle Bronze Age (2nd millennium B.C.) to the end of the Roman period (4th c. A.D.).
- Permanent Exhibition
Daily Life in Antiquity
On the 4th floor of the Main Building, attempts to inform us about daily life in antiquity (as provided by ancient texts and archaeological objects) into beautiful images. Visitors are invited into a virtual tour in time and space: the tours starts from the world of the supernatural (gods) and the myth (heroes), goes through the realm of Eros, follows the activities of everyday women and men in their private and public life, explores their religious behavior, and concludes with their attitudes against death and their beliefs about afterlife and the Underworld.
142 objects - mostly dating to the Classical and Hellenistic periods (5th-1st c. B.C.) - are grouped in nine separate units treating the following thematic areas:
- Gods and Heroes
- On the wings of Eros
- Toiletry and wedding
- Female activities
- Athletics
- The Symposium
- In the Ancient Agora of Athens
- Warfare
- Taking care of the deceased.
Ancient Greek Art: A History in Images
On the 2nd floor of the Main Building. The exhibition, titled "Ancient Greek Art – A history in images" includes approximately 350 objects from the N.P. Goulandris Collection, the Ch. Politis Collection and the Athens Academy Collection, as well as new acquisitions, and 5 objects from ancient Eleutherna in Crete, on loan from the Rethymnon Archaeological Museum. The exhibition is displayed in 5 main chronological periods:
- The Middle and Late Bronze Age (2000-1600 / 1600-1100 B.C.)
- The Geometric period (1100-700 B.C.)
- The Archaic period (700-480 B.C.)
- The Classical period (480-323 B.C.)
- The Hellenistic and Roman period (323 -31 B.C. / 31 B.C. – A.D. 395).
Ancient Craftsmanship.
The last section of the exhibition is dedicated to ancient technologies related to fire. Through a number of interactive applications, such as revolving panels and illuminated drawers, the visitors can learn how ancient craftsmen made:
- clay vases
- clay figurines
- metal objects
- gold ornaments
- glass vessels.
The presentation is supplemented with short videos showing modern reconstructions of ancient techniques. The videos have been made by the museum employees in collaboration with experts in ancient technologies.
