Point of interest
National Archaeological Museum
in Athens, Greece
One of the world's great museums of ancient Greek art, home to the Mask of Agamemnon, the Antikythera Mechanism and the bronze Artemision Poseidon.
Where it is
On Patission Street (28is Oktovriou 44) in the Exarchia district, north of the city centre.
Address: 44 Πατησίων, 106 82 Athens
What it is
Highlights include the golden "Mask of Agamemnon" from Mycenae, the Artemision Bronze (Zeus or Poseidon), the Jockey of Artemision and the Antikythera Mechanism. Anyone wanting to understand Greek art from Cycladic culture to Roman times will find the world's most important collection here. Allow several hours for a visit.
History
The largest archaeological museum in Greece was founded at the end of the 19th century to safeguard antiquities from across the country. It is housed in an imposing neoclassical building with exhibition space of around 8,000 m². The collections number more than 11,000 exhibits, spanning prehistory to late antiquity.