Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Altes Museum
KRZYSZTOF DYDYNSKI/GETTY IMAGES ©
Greeks
This chronologically arranged exhibit spans all periods in ancient Greek art from the 10th to
the 1st centuries BC. Among the oldest items is a collection of bronze helmets, but it's the
monumental statues and elaborate vases that show the greatest artistry.
Among the first eye-catchers is the strapping
Kouros
(room 2), a nude male with a Mona
Lisa smile and a great mop of hair. In the next gallery, all eyes are on the
Berlin Goddess
, a
beautifully preserved funerary statue of a wealthy young woman in a fancy red dress. The
finely carved
Seated Goddess of Tarent
(room 9) is another highlight.
The biggest crowd-pleaser is the
Praying Boy
(room 5), an idealised young male nude
sculpted in Rhodes around 300 BC and brought to Berlin by Frederick the Great in 1747.
Both Napoleon and Stalin took a fancy to the pretty boy and temporarily abducted him as
war booty to Paris and Moscow, respectively. Today, his serene smile once again radiates
over the museum's soaring
rotunda
that's lidded by a grand coffered and frescoed ceiling.
Light filters through a central skylight illuminating 20 large-scale statues representing a
who's who among antique gods, including Nike, Zeus and Fortuna.
Etruscans & Romans
The museum's Etruscan collection is one of the largest outside Italy and contains some stun-
ning pieces. Admire a circular shield from the grave of a warrior alongside amphorae, jew-
ellery, coins and other items from daily life dating back as far as the 8th century BC. Learn
about Etruscan language by studying the
tablet from Capua
and about funerary rites by ex-
amining the highly decorated
cinerary urns
and
sarcophagi
.
Ensuing rooms are dedicated to the Romans. There's fantastic sculpture, a superb
70-piece silver table service called the
Hildesheim Treasure
and busts of Roman leaders,
including Caesar and Cleopatra. An adults-only
erotic cabinet
(behind a closed door, no
less) brims with not-so-subtle depictions of satyrs, hermaphrodites and giant phalli.
