Places To Visit In Thessaloniki: The Archaeological Museum
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is the home of countless artifacts from the Classical and Archaic period of long and rich Greek history. Modern architecture of the building makes a stark contrast to the ancient heritage displayed inside.
The artifacts of the museum tell a story. It starts from the prehistoric era with the Prehistoric Macedonia exhibition of the life of prehistoric Macedonians where you can find out about their way of life, where they lived, how they hunted and brought food on the table, with whom they traded their goods and how they buried their dead. Next is the exhibit of the Iron Age artifacts that saw the development of the first cities in Macedonia from the small settlements established in the prehistoric times.
The crown jewel of the museum’s exhibition is the section called ‘Macedonia from the 7th century BC until late antiquity’ which covers the rise and fall of Ancient Macedonia made famous by Philip II and his son Alexander the Great, two men who made a tremendous impact on history. Alexander by his famous conquests and Philip who made them possible with his wise and prosperous rule. The Exhibit tells the story of the whole Macedonian state, its economy, social and political organization, daily life, religion and the famous war machine of Macedonian army.
Visitors can interact with the exhibit with multimedia applications displayed on touch screens. They introduce the visitors to the form and functions of the ancient Macedonian cities and of the Macedonian tombs. Visitors can see contemporary theatrical performances of ancient Greek drama. And for the first time the visitors have the opportunity to get familiar with ancient music, a work deriving from the transcription of musical symbols discovered on a stela dated in the 3rd century BC and found in the outskirts of Thessaloniki.
The permanent exhibit “The Gold of Macedon” demonstrates the importance of gold in ancient Macedonian culture. Full of stunning artifacts that came to light during excavations of cemeteries, highlights its association with the beliefs of life and death at the time. Also, the exhibition describes the processes of gold mining and gold working, the decoration of gold and gilded artefacts.
Last but not the least is the section dedicated to the city itself, appropriately named ‘Thessaloniki, Metropolis of Macedonia’. The exhibition offers the opportunity to go on a historical walk through ancient Thessaloniki and to see the ruins as they once were, in their full glory.
Apart from its permanent displays, the Archaeological Museum also hosts major temporary and thematic exhibitions. It is certainly a place worth your visit, where you can learn about, and be inspired by ancient Macedonian history.
General information:
Address: 6 Manoli Andronikou Street, Thessaloniki, Greece
Opening hours: Mondays to Sundays from 08:00 to 16:00
Phone: +30 2310 830 538
Admission fee:
Adults: 6 Euros
Reduced Ticket: 3 Euros (EU nationals over 65 years old and students from non — EU countries with ISIC Card)
Combined Ticket: 8 euros with admission to the Museum of Byzantine Culture and Combined Reduced Ticket: 4 Euros
Official Website: http://www.amth.gr/
This travel guide is brought to you by Zaliki Boutique Hotel Thessaloniki
