Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mask of Agamemnon
The first cabinet holds the celebrated gold Mask of Agamemnon, unearthed at Mycenae
by Heinrich Schliemann, along with key finds from Grave Circle A, including bronze dag-
gers with intricate representations of the hunt.
Vaphio Cups
The exquisite Vaphio gold cups, with scenes of men taming wild bulls, are regarded as
among the finest surviving examples of Mycenaean art. They were found in a
tholos
(My-
cenaean tomb shaped like a beehive) at Vaphio, near Sparta.
Cycladic Collection
The Cycladic collection in Gallery 6 includes the superb figurines of the 3rd and 2nd mil-
lennia BC that inspired artists such as Picasso. One example measures 1.52m and dates
from 2600-2300 BC.
Sounion Kouros
The galleries to the left of the entrance house the oldest and most significant pieces of the
sculpture collection. Galleries 7 to 13 exhibit fine examples of Archaic
kouroi
(male
statues) from the 7th century BC to 480 BC. The colossal 600 BC Sounion Kouros (Room
8), found at the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion, is made of Naxian marble and stood be-
fore Poseidon's temple.
Bronze God
Gallery 15 is dominated by the incredible 460-BC bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon,
found in the sea off Evia, which depicts one of the gods (no one really knows which) with
his arms outstretched and holding a thunderbolt or trident in his right hand.
Athena Varvakeion
The 200-BC statue of Athena Varvakeion in Gallery 20 is the most famous copy - much
reduced in size - of the colossal statue of Athena Polias by Pheidias that once stood in the
Parthenon.
