Greece - Athens, Acropolis Museum

We are getting quite comfortable with the Metro, just 3 stops and we are at the Acropolis

 

This time to go to the beautiful, new museum at it's base.

It is built over an excavation that we explore later in the day.

It is full of natural light and spacious, even huge pieces are displayed in ways that allow you to see them from all sides while still marveling at their size.

Some things are in glass cases but most are displayed without that barrier

and you can really get close and examine the workmanship.

We worked our way around the galleries roughly chronologically.

When the Persians conquered Athens they destroyed everything on the Acropolis, pulling down the temples and the statues. When Athens repelled them the Athenians did not immediately rebuild and when they did they buried the remains and built anew.

Although it was in pieces and showed evidence of the fires, when found, it was a treasure trove and offered an insight into how the Acropolis had originally looked.

Many of the statues had remains of the original paint and replicas standing beside them have been painted with the same materials to show how they would have looked.

She was a redhead.

Interesting displays about

the origins of the paint material and how they were created.

Also the variety of carving tools used

and how  it was built.

The Caryatadides had their own gallery which was full of one school group after another

so it was difficult to get a clear photo. 5 of them and a space for the 6th (in London). One in pieces as it was hit during a Turkish bombardment.

They all have different fancy hairstyles as a neck alone would have been to fragile to hold the weight of the roof of the temple.

Exquisite carvings. There was a video showing how they were cleaned using a laser and this was done while they were on display so the public could see the process (rather than in a lab, as is usual)

The top floor had the frieze from the Parthenon and frieze from the inside except, of course, The Elgin Marbles.

Although not as high as they would have been in situ it made sense to have to look up at them.

Financial accounts, so we now know how much a statue or a carving (3D or relief) cost in those days.

And outside, that view!

Everything in the museum came from the Acropolis and its surrounds,

the restaurant also gave the view

and the excavations below

took years to uncover the layers of the neighbourhood nearby.

We had been there for about 2 and a half hours but didn't feel nearly as tired as the day we did the National Museum (when we were 3 and a half). I think the airiness and different flooring may have helped with that.

Back to Omonia Square for lunch and Rick is on a roll. He ordered the Greek Omelette!

We still had time before our next excursion so walked around the square (a table set up selling nuts)

and it seems like there is a bakery on every corner.