Ministry of Culture and Sports | Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki

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	HISTORY

	EXHIBITIONS

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	PHOTOGALLERY

	Permanent exhibitions

Prehistoric Macedonia

Chronologically, the museum narrative begins with the exhibition Prehistoric Macedonia, which, as the title reveals, presents finds from prehistoric sites across Macedonia.
The exhibition, after a short introduction on the history of research, begins at an era prior to the appearance of modern humans, through the casts of skulls of the Ouranopithecus Macedoniensis, an early hominid, and moves on to the Palaeolithic era with the cast of the famous Petralona Skull (200.000 BC). The peaceful ...

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Towards the Birth of Cities

The exhibition Towards the Birth of Cities presents the material remains from settlements and cemeteries dating to the Iron Age (1100 - 700 BC) in the region extending between Mt. Athos and Olympus, from sites like Mende, Assiros, Kastanas, Nea Philadelphia. Anchialos, Krania of Olympus etc. During the course of these centuries the advent of important changes in the economic and social life takes place. Trade and exchange contacts also intensify and metalworking is on the rise. Luxurious drinking ...

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Macedonia from the 7th c. BC until the Late Antiquity

The exhibition entitled Macedonia from the 7th c. BC until the Late Antiquity presents aspects of life of the Macedonians from the creation of the independent Macedonian kingdom in the archaic period to the Roman Imperial era (1st 4th c. AD), when Macedonia was a province of the Roman Empire. The artefacts on display come from Thessaloniki as well as a multitude of other sites across Macedonia, from earlier and later excavations. They cover a chronological framework of 1100 years and each one ...

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Thessaloniki, Metropolis of Macedonia

The exhibition Thessaloniki, Metropolis of Macedonia is devoted to historical and archaeological evidence for the city. Linked from its very foundation in 315 BC with the generation of Alexander the Great, the city emerged in the Roman period as an important centre in the province of Macedonia, retaining its language, culture, and the memory of its glorious Macedonian history. Unknown aspects of the history of Thessaloniki are highlighted through the presentation of the most important monuments ...

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The Gold of Macedon

The exhibition entitled The Gold of Macedon includes exhibits of superb art from various sites, mainly from Archaic and Classical cemeteries. At the same time it offers a description of all stages in the processing of noble metals, from that of mining to the complicated techniques used in working and decorating the valuable objects associated with the public and private life of the ancient Macedonians. The famous bronze Derveni krater is also exhibited here, from ancient Lete, depicting the sacred ...

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Macedonia. From Fragments to Pixels

The exhibition Macedonia. From Fragments to Pixels is an internationally unique presentation of interactive systems. It draws inspiration from the history and culture of ancient Macedonia. This exhibition differs from a conventional one, as the new technologies employed allow visitors to access unique artefacts, archaeological sites and monuments, offering a new interactive experience that combines information and learning through playing. Hence, visitors can explore digital representations of ...

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The bronze crater from Derveni

Field, House, Garden, Grave

In the permanent open-ground exhibition entitled Field, House, Garden, Grave, divided into two major segments, with artefacts dating from the 2nd to the 4th century AD the heyday of Thessaloniki. The first segment reconstructs a hypothetical cemetery, including finds, sarcophagi and altars from the west and east cemeteries of the ancient city. The second segment consists of an imaginary reconstruction of wealthy Graeco-Roman house, built with modern construction materials, which exhibits authentic ...

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Memory in Stone

In the open-ground exhibition entitled Memory in Stone, lithic monuments from Thessaloniki and other parts of Macedonia dating mostly from the 1st to the 3rd century AD, but also belonging to later eras, testify the various uses of stone; a material whose durability guaranteed the preservation of fortifications, burial monuments, buildings, vessels and tools, but also the persistence of the memory of people and ideas. However, due to various circumstances the initial purpose of the objects was ...

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	Periodical exhibitions

"2084".Temporary exhibition of the 5th Thessaloniki Photo Festival Contrast / Αντίθεση

The Thessaloniki Photo Festival Contrast/Αντίθεση, which is the result of the dynamic collaboration of three photography groups ("Fotoporoi", "KLIKers","F") and various photographers from all over Greece, has been established as a photographic event of the city.
This year, the 5th Thessaloniki Foto Festival/Contrast, with the title "2084" is hosted in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and in three galleries of the city, Ianos Art Gallery, Chalkos Gallery and Kounio Image Space. Of all ...

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"Foretold: Stories that draped the body". Temporary exhibition | An international collective art project

The international art project entitled "Foretold: Stories that draped the body" is inspired by female archetypes in different periods and cultures. The exhibition presents the artwork of Maria Papatzelou (Greece) having as central element a kimono and an Obi belt, both made of handmade Japanese Washi paper, in dialogue with the handmade artist books of Vaya Politi (France). The installation is completed with photos by Everett Kennedy Brown (USA-Japan), Masashi Nakamura (Japan) and Stavros Parcharidis ...

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For a flame that burns on. Antiquities and Memory, Thessaloniki Macedonia [1821-2021]

On July 15, 2021, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki will open its exhibition For a flame that burns on. Antiquities and Memory, Thessaloniki Macedonia [1821-2021].
This temporary exhibition, which will run for a year, is the museums contribution to the celebrations marking the bicentenary of the most important event in modern Greek history: the outbreak of the struggle for national independence.
Nearly 100 years were to pass between 1821 and 1912, when Macedonia too was incorporated ...

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From South to North: Colonies of the Cyclades in the northern Aegean

The description is not available

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Treasures of the Middle Ages

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki presents, for the first time in Greece, some of the most precious and most representative objects from the collections of the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw; 445 artefacts dating mainly from the 11th to the 13th century, discovered by archaeological research that took place during the last century in Poland, Belarus and the Ukraine, as well as from private collections of the 19th century. The exhibitions narrative unfolds through 11 thematic units, ...

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"Findings" by Aris Katsilakis, temporary art exhibition

The temporary exhibition "Findings" is presented at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki at a unique time, as it is organized only a few days after the opening of museums in Greece. This is the new personal exhibition of Aris Katsilakis, Assistant Professor of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, which consists of imaginary sculptural compositions that refer to the realm of the unconscious.
The creations, made of white clay, validate the special ...

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Copying (in) the Past: Imitation & Inspiration Stories

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, participating in the celebration of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, organizes a temporary exhibition entitled: Cοpying (in) the past: imitation and inspiration stories.
The exhibition attempts to approach the multi-faceted phenomenon of copying in the past and the present and its innumerable expressions. Based on an innovative theme, through a presentation that combines speech, sound and image, it explores the phenomenon of copying within ...

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Figurines. A microcosmos of clay

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki presents the largest so far exhibition on figurine production in Greece: 670 selected clay figurines, dating from the earliest Neolithic (7th millennium BC) to late Antiquity (4th century AD), derive from excavations conducted across Northern Greece and most of them introduce themselves for the first time to the public. The aim of the exhibition is the multi-dimensional presentation of the subject, by commenting on aspects related to technology, use, function ...

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Bringing to life Aegean Late Bronze Age Costume

Costumes are among the features which show the close links between the three regions of the Aegean: Minoan Crete, the Cyclades and Mycenaean Greece during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1700-1100 BC).

Experimental reproductions of costumes bring to life in a vivid and direct way the dressing preferences and peculiarities of the Minoan and Mycenaean society which are known mainly through cretomycenean art. The displayed exhibits recreate the Aegean clothing of the Late Bronze Age as faithfully as ...

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Figures and Dialogues: Ancient Vase-Painting and Contemporary Artistic Creations

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki presents the art exhibition Figures and Dialogues: Ancient Vase-painting and Contemporary Artistic Creations, by the Spanish artist Miguel Angel Vazguez Vera. Vera is a modern painter, who recognizes the potential of ancient Greek art and exploits in his work the ability of Greek vase-painting to function as a symbolic code of communication. The exhibition presents fifty-one drawings, which reproduce scenes depicted on vases from the collection of AMTh ...

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