National Archaeological Museum!

Brad here again! This blog entry is coming a day late, as we had a pretty action-packed day yesterday and then had to pack our bags in preparation of moving out of our Airbnb the next morning. As I write this we are enroute via taxi to another apartment near the airport in anticipation of our early flight out of Athens tomorrow morning. 

We began our day yesterday at the National Archaeological Museum. The museum has several exhibitions which showcase historical periods and cultures all the way from the early Neolithic period (6500-5800 BC) to Greece under Roman rule (~4th century AD). There are a variety of artifacts from Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Italy and other nearby regions. As a bonus, it is also a welcomed air-conditioned refuge from the August heat in Athens :) 

The maze-like museum offered something interesting for everyone in our family. Zoe, being the artist that she is, particularly appreciated the fine craftmanship (craftpersonship?) of the ancient jewellery, tools, and ceremonial ornaments on display from various historical periods and cultures. Likewise, the sculptures of Greek gods and goddesses scratched an itch for her love of Greek mythology. 

Zoe and Medusa

Aphrodite, Eros, and Pan

Leslie didn't take a lot of museum photos, but she took this photo of Apollo. Like I said, the museum had something for everyone. 

Another interesting piece of history in the museum is the mask of Agamemnon, although the name may not be entirely accurate; it was chosen by the archaeologist who discovered it, but supposedly modern research suggests it is from 300-400 years before the Trojan War (but nonetheless genuine). 

The mask of Agamemnon, which has been described as the "Mona Lisa of prehistory."

Bean for scale 

One surprise that I did not realize was at the museum beforehand was the Antikythera mechanism: a hand-powered model of the solar system - made of metal gears and engraved dials, housed in a wooden box - that could be used to predict astrological positions and events such as eclipses. It was discovered in 1901 in a shipwreck near the island of the same name, and is believed to have been created sometime around 205-100 BC. Since its discovery, scientists have been trying to reproduce functional models of it based on the pieces that have been recovered (some have been lost to time). The Antikythera mechanism was even featured in the latest Indiana Jones movie (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny). Apparently machines with similar complexity did not appear again until the 14th century in western Europe!

 A piece of the Antikythera mechanism with two concentric scales, the outer of which is engraved with the Egyptian calendar (written in Greek) while the inner shows the Greek zodiac. 

Love me some hieroglyphs

Personally, I really enjoyed being able to see some of the artwork, artifacts, and depictions of historical figures that I've slowly been gaining a better understanding and appreciation of over the past several years (thanks to some great books and history podcasts). 

Bust of Herodes Atticus - a Roman senator to whom many public works are attributed, including the impressive theatre of Herodes Atticus mentioned in our blog entry from our visit to the Acropolis. 

Ancient frying pans! 

Arrowheads and spearheads recovered near Thermopylae, most likely from clashes between the Greeks and Persians

My partner in crime and travel buddy extraordinare Leslie will be posting a separate entry on the amazing sun-soaked afternoon that we enjoyed yesterday afternoon after we had our fill of the museum life.

Today we leave our beautiful Airbnb apartment in Athens that has been our home for the past few days. We will in particular miss its amazing rooftop patio overlooking the city, and the nearby Greek Orthodox Church with its charming bells that are rung at seemingly random times of the day. :)

Farewell Athens!