The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki - details and images

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is a state museum of the Ministry of Culture and has been an autonomous unit since 2001. It has been housed in a building, designed by architect Patroklos Karantinos since 1962 and it has been designated as a listed monument of modern heritage, as it is one of the most representative examples of architectural modernism in Greece. Its collections include artifacts and assemblages from excavations conducted since 1912 by the Greek Antiquities Service throughout Macedonia. The museum also houses objects that used to be part of private collections and were later donated to it.

Following a long period of extensive renovation and reorganization of both the exhibits and the storage and the administrative sections, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki reopened its gates to the public in September 2006. During the restoration phase, in conjunction with the extension of the Museum?s premises, the permanent collections were also redesigned and exhibited in a way that would serve the needs of modern visitors.

The Museum's exhibition proposal comprises of eight units, through which the visitors come in contact with the world of ancient Macedonia, its culture and its people:

1. Prehistoric Macedonia

2. Towards the Birth of Cities

3. Macedonia form the 7th c. BC until the late antiquity

4. Thessaloniki, Metropolis of Macedonia

5. The Gold of Macedon

6. Field, House, Garden, Grave

7. Memory in stone

8. Macedonia: from fragments to pixels

Our intention was to highlight various aspects of the culture that developed in Macedonia, primarily in Thessaloniki and the neighboring prefectures, covering a period from the dawn of prehistory to late antiquity (i.e until the first centuries of the Christian era).

Our aim was to organize and present the exhibitions in a completely human-centric way, representing - to the extent allowed by the findings and scientific research - the everyday lives of the people that used to inhabit this region of Greece. To accomplish this, an effort was made to implement the principles of modern museology. A large team o scientist, technicians and administrative staff all work to this end. The Archaeological museum of Thessaloniki aims to be an institution that promotes culture, learning, education, science and communication. Within this framework the museum offers educational programs, presents periodic exhibitions inspired by themes both from the ancient and modern culture, supports archaeological research, and organizes themed workshops, lectures, seminars, and a variety of programs and events for all audiences.

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