The archaic gallery
The acropolis museum idea was initially formulated in September 1976 by Constantinos Karamanlis. He was the one who selected the site where the museum was to be constructed. His idea was to have a new museum that was fully equipped with all technical items for the conservation of priceless Greek artifacts. The museum was to house Parthenon sculptures. However, the announcement of the official architectural construction was made in the year 2000. the construction began in 2007. currently, the museum has a total area of 25,000 square meters. The museum has an exhibition area of 14,000 square meters. Since its opening in 2009, the museum has received several visitors both foreign and local. The museum houses over 3,000 famous artifacts from the Athenian acropolis. The majority of the artifacts are made of rocks, marbles, sculptures and Phidias. Some of the renowned gallery artifacts are the archaic gallery and exhibits at the Parthenon gallery.
The archaic gallery
It is located on the first floor of the museum. The archaic gallery measures 9 metres in height. The gallery exhibit the once beautiful first temples that were built on the acropolis. Additionally, the gallery contains the votive offering such as lovely old hippies, korai, the goddess of Athena, bronze artifacts, pieces of marble reliefs, and sculpted male figures. The gallery also houses the temple of Athena Nike the propylaea, and the Erechtheion. The north wing offers visitors a view of sculptures from the classical times that imitate the ancient roman. Besides the sculptures, the gallery exhibit materials from the middle ages while others are from the Byzantine era.
Exhibits at the Parthenon gallery
It is located on the third floor of the acropolis museum. It enclosed in a glass and it houses several sculptures that depict the Parthenon frieze. The structure is displayed and showcased in a particular sequence. Some of the exhibits that are displayed at the glass-encased are marble reliefs that have depictions of some greek gods and goddesses. Additionally, it showcases the metopes. The columns are made of stainless steel and they exhibit the marble reliefs in the gallery. The number of the column in the new museum is the same number of columns of the Parthenon. Additionally, Parthenon has two iconic figures of the two pediments that are located at the west and the east ends of the gallery. One of the pediments represents the birth of Athena from the head of her father, Zeus. The other represents the fight that broke between Athena and Poseidon over Attica.
The archaic gallery and the Exhibits at the Parthenon gallery both outline the way of life of the people of the greeks. The Greeks are known for making sculptures that were designed to display their artistic culture. From the gallery, one can tell the greeks took pride in who they are and they loved their heritage with passion. They were able to unite their tradition, art, music and food. The greeks contributed largely to the philosophy of the world. The greeks culture and art help in shaping their modern-day civilization.
Reference
Focusgreece. (2018). The Most Significant Exhibits at the Acropolis Museum. Retrieved 4 June 2020, from https://focusgreece.com/the-most-significant-exhibits-at-the-acropolis-museum/