Acropolis Museum: Top Rankings! Correct?

[Disneyfriend]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

As a museum lover, and one who has visited the two museums several times each, I would vote for the National Archaeological Museum for a first visit and with children. It covers all of ancient Greece, not just the small area pertaining to the Parthenon. Although it doesn't have the modern and beautiful display galleries of the Acropolis Museum, the CONTENT is far superior.

 

You should definitely think about seeing only the "highlights" though, as the collection is huge.

 

Some of the things I will recommend (not all of them are easy to find in the museum):

 

-- The bronze statue of Poseidon (or Zeus, depending on your interpretation)

 

-- Beautiful marble statue grouping of Aphrodite, Pan and Eros

 

-- The gold items excavated from Mycenae by Schliemann (including the gold masks (you can't miss them, they are very near the entry)

 

-- Collection of Greek drinking vessels known as Rhytons shaped and painted to resemble various animals (very kid friendly)

 

-- The small scale replica of the statue of Athena Parthenos (the goddess for whom the Parthenon was constructed) that is supposed to be one of the few surviving "copies" of the actual statue (from antiquity) that would have been housed there.

 

-- Fresco fragments from Akrotiri (on Santorini)

 

-- The Antikythera Mechanism -- known as the "world's first computer" this sophisticated device was discovered in a shipwreck. Fascinating history. Have your kids read about it in advance (there are also YouTube videos):  

 

 

 

Cruisemom, THANK YOU very much for your thoughtful post, and for taking the time to recommend several important specific pieces to see.  I value your input and am going to actually print out your post for reference.  I appreciate your advice very much - thanks again!

[dogs4fun]

If you visit the National Archaeology Museum, in addition to cruisemom's recommendations, I recommend seeing the fantastic Spring fresco. It is the only Akrotiri (Santorini) fresco that was found intact in situ and covers 3 walls. Incredible!

[TLCOhio]

18 hours ago, Disneyfriend said:

Cruisemom, THANK YOU very much for your thoughtful post, and for taking the time to recommend several important specific pieces to see.  I value your input and am going to actually print out your post for reference.  I appreciate your advice very much - thanks again!

 

YES, super appreciate the follow-up insights and details from the always wise Cruisemom.  Based on the additional information provided by the original posters, it does seem that the much more in-depth and wider-ranging collection at the National Archaeology  Museum would be of more value.  As I noted earlier, the building for the National Archaeology  Museum is not as new and "fancy" as the Acropolis Museum.  BUT, if understand how the Greek designs evolved into what was adopted and became associated with the Roman empire, then the National Archaeology  Museum would be your better choice.  

 

Keep asking the good questions!!  Nice to having so many great options in Athens to evaluate.  Below are some of visual samples to aid your considerations. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Athens & Greece: Many visuals, details from two visits in a city with great history, culture and architecture.  Now at 30,123 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

From our June 2006 visit to Athens' National Archaeology  Museum, these six visuals give a small sampling for the wide range of the collection there.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

 

 

 

 

 

[Disneyfriend]

Terry, thank you for your last batch of pictures.  I loved the Athens trip report as well - what a treat!  

[TLCOhio]

On 4/22/2019 at 3:16 PM, Disneyfriend said:

Terry, thank you for your last batch of pictures.  I loved the Athens trip report as well - what a treat!  

 

Great to hear that you liked both these pictures and the full Athens trip report.  Keep research and planning.  With some many great options in Athens and only limited time, it is vital to prepare ahead.  What other ports are you visiting?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

For latest live/blog, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East.  Connect at:

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[Disneyfriend]

3 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Great to hear that you liked both these pictures and the full Athens trip report.  Keep research and planning.  With some many great options in Athens and only limited time, it is vital to prepare ahead.  What other ports are you visiting?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

For latest live/blog, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

 

Our cruise is also stopping in Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete.  We thought it was a lovely itinerary for a first visit to Greece!

 

We'll also be stopping for 2 ports in Italy, Messina and Naples.   It will be our second visit Naples but our first stop in Sicily.  

[TLCOhio]

On 4/24/2019 at 4:41 PM, Disneyfriend said:

Our cruise is also stopping in Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete.  We thought it was a lovely itinerary for a first visit to Greece!  We'll also be stopping for 2 ports in Italy, Messina and Naples.   It will be our second visit Naples but our first stop in Sicily.  

 

Great upcoming cruise and wonderful port options.  We super loved Mykonos when we visited there in June 2006.  Very nice and popular location.  Hopefully it will not be too crowded when you are scheduled to be there.  Not been, yet, to Santorini, and Crete.  Also need to visit the Messina area.  That's also on our to-do list.  Have been in the Naples area twice.  Wonderful options, especially for in and around the Amalfi Coast area, Capri, Pompeii,  etc.  Many great potential to see and experience near Naples.  Not too much great in Naples other than their main museum there.  Good luck with your travels.  Let us know any other questions.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

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[RoRothman]

We are going to have 1 day only in December from our ship to do the "highlights" of Athens.. can anyone recommend a good tour guide/ company that provides a guide.. not just a driver.. The ship tours are so limited.. so we want to make the most of our time there..

[iancal]

Our experience in this museum is similar to our experience in other wonderful museums.  Impossible to take it all in on one visit.  So we plan to go back and no doubt we will see things on successive visits that we missed or did not appreciate on the prior visit.  That is the great thing about museums like this....every visit can be a first run movie.

[TLCOhio]

59 minutes ago, RoRothman said:

We are going to have 1 day only in December from our ship to do the "highlights" of Athens.. can anyone recommend a good tour guide/ company that provides a guide.. not just a driver.. The ship tours are so limited.. so we want to make the most of our time there..

 

YES, very smart in seeking to "MAXIMIZE" your time in Athens.  Many great options there and you correctly want to be as efficient as possible with your time.  We used George’s Taxi for our day-trip up to Delphi.  Their prime focus is about the logistic and transportation in getting you there and around.  BUT, in going to Delphi, we wanted a private guide to take us around at this historic site and they arranged for that.  All worked very, very well.  You check more by going to the website at www.taxigreece.com/about-us/
and/or e-mail them at: taxigreece@yahoo.com    

Their website shows three different license guides on their staff.  Plus, like with most good companies, they can set-up other experts, depending on your personal interests and budget. 

 

Great above comments by iancal in saying: "That is the great thing about museums like this....every visit can be a first run movie."

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

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[rbolano]

The Acropolis Museum is trully amazing, both the building and its artifacts. Just a week ago, they opened the new area, which is the actual, ancient city district below the modern museum. You can literally walk below the museum and through the small streets and buildings of ancient Athens!

[TLCOhio]

2 hours ago, rbolano said:

The Acropolis Museum is trully amazing, both the building and its artifacts. Just a week ago, they opened the new area, which is the actual, ancient city district below the modern museum. You can literally walk below the museum and through the small streets and buildings of ancient Athens!

 

Appreciate this great update, details and follow-up about this new option at the Acropolis Museum.  Very interesting!!  It's a good reason to go back to Athens, see and do more there, etc.  Will share your suggestion on my Athens series of details.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

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[TLCOhio]

From the London/UK Guardian newspaper early last month, they had this headline: “Daily lives of ancient Greeks revealed in Acropolis museum’s huge archaeological dig” with this sub headline: "Museum’s new exhibition space is an excavation site with villas, workshops and bathhouses."

 

Here are more of their story highlights: “The pride – and purpose – of the Acropolis Museum has always been the Parthenon gallery. With its 360-degree panoramic view from the top floor, the museum has always been on a mission: to let the world know that this is the most appropriate place to exhibit the marbles that once adorned the Periclean masterpiece. But a decade after it opened, the four-storey edifice at the foot of the Acropolis is now focusing on the lives of ancient Greeks. As the museum prepares to celebrate its 10th birthday on 20 June, it has announced the opening of a new exhibition space: an entire excavated neighbourhood of ancient villas, streets, workshops and bathhouses that lies below the museum building.”

 

Happy 10th anniversary to this wonderful museum.  Yes, we enjoyed our visit there.

 

Full story at:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/08/acropolis-museum-archaeology-daily-lives-ancient-greeks

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

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