The exhibits of the Archaeological Museum of Patras are broadly arranged in three thematic units, which bring out aspects of public and private lifestyle, as well as the post mortem situation in antiquity. The Hall of Private Life focuses on our ancestors’ way of living, their occupations and tools, domestic quarters, rural and urban houses along with their decorative elements, workshops and industrial installations where glassware, pottery and metal objects were manufactured.
The Hall of Public Life provides information on the monumental topography of Patras, the town-planning with a distinct sector for spectacles and entertainment, public buildings and infrastructure, e.g. aqueduct, thermae, road network, harbour installations. This Hall actually illustrates Pausanias’s description of Patras, supported by maps, drawings and pictorial display aid particularly helpful to non-specialist visitors. Pivotal issues are those of religion, war, administration patterns, commerce and seafaring, as attested to by relevant finds. Outstanding among the respective monuments is --indicatively-- the amphitheatre, the statue of Nemesis and the rendering of gladiators in relief and mosaic. Quite rare in the history of religion are the tangible remains of the Oracle of Lamps.
The Necropolis Hall is devoted to the spatial layout of cemeteries, also casting light on funerary architecture (graves typology, sarcophagi, below and above ground burial monuments, grave markers, columbaria), burial customs (e.g. inhumation or incineration), the lavishness, elaboration and diversity of grave offerings.
The displayed finds range from 3000 BC up to the 4th century AD, supported by bilingual explanatory texts and rich visual aid referring to provenance, context, date and other pertinent details, which ensure the visitors’ better understanding. The building’s design with spacious, sizeable and imposing galleries and devices such as the suspended / elevated passage (see Museum Description) allow various viewpoints of the exhibits, intriguing visitors to explore the ancient past of Western Achaea.
The Mycenaean period is well represented in different sub-units of Patras Museum. A variety of clay vases and metal weapons are displayed, some bringing to life scenes narrated in Homer’s epic poems. Worth noting are the remains of ceramic cups coated in tin foils, to emulate the appearance of metal. The finds from a warrior’s grave, in particular, help us reconstruct the equipment and outlook of the deceased, with connotations also to his social status.
Within the aforementioned three main exhibition units, clusters of exhibits or isolated ones stand out, immediately catching the visitor’s eye: imperial portraits and statuary, the luxurious bath of coloured marble slabs and the unparalleled window panel, the winepress installation from a farmhouse juxtaposed to a mosaic floor representing Pan and Satyrs in the process of producing wine. The many representations of Dionysos imply his popularity in Patras during the Roman Imperial period. Representations of the deified river Nile and the Persian god Mithras, clay figurines of Egyptian deities and the colossal marble head of Serapis attest to the peaceful co-existence of people from different origins in Patras during the 2nd and the 3rd centuries AD. It was a multi-national and multi-cultural community with merging influences and traditions. Roman replicas of classical masterpieces, such as the downsized marble copy of the gold-and-ivory statue of Athena Parthenos (original by Pheidias), the replica of Heracles (original by Lysippos) and Satyr (original by Praxiteles) denote advanced intellectual standards and commissioners educated as much as wealthy. A glimpse into those times’ craftsmanship is offered via glass vases fabricated in different techniques, the industry of marble sarcophagi, the gold jewellery. Another strong point of the Museum is the Roman mosaic floors and those in opus sectile. The collection of mosaics constitutes a subject-matter on its own merit and their installation in an upright position defines a further novelty, viewed even better from the inner suspended passage.
Dr Elena C. Partida |
