What Is The Archaeological Museum Of Thessaloniki?

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is in Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece. It houses artifacts from the Prehistoric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods, mostly from the city of Thessaloniki and the general region of Macedonia.

The museum is run by the Ministry of Culture and has been an independent unit since 2001. The museum building was designed by architect Patroklos Karantinos and is designated as a listed monument since 1962 as it is one of the most representative examples of architectural modernism in Greece.

The collections include artifacts from excavations performed since 1912 by the Greek Antiquities Service throughout Macedonia. It also houses objects that were donated by individuals.

History

The Ephorate of Antiquities was found in November 1912 and up to 1925, all antiquities found in Macedonia were gathered at the Residency and the Ottoman Idadie School, which housed the Faculty of Philosophy of the Aristotle University.

The Yeni Cami mosque, which was the centre of worship for the Donmeh population of the Ottoman-occupied Thessaloniki, was given to the Archaeological Service in 1925 and became the city’s first museum. Many sculptures that were buried in trenched to protect them from war raids were uncovered from 1951 and displayed in the museum from 1953.

Patroklos Karantinos was assigned the task to design the new museum and it was inaugurated in 1962 as part of the celebrations of 50 years since Thessaloniki’s liberation. It exhibited the finds from the Derveni tombs as well as sculptures from the Archaic to the Roman era.

When the finds of the Royal Tombs at Vergina (Aigai) were transferred to the museum for storage it required an extension to the building and a new wing was added in 1980. Two years later a new exhibition was designed to display the finds from the cemetery of Sindos by Aikaterini Despini.

In 1985, with the completion of 2300 years since the foundation of Thessaloniki by Cassander in 315 BC, the first major exhibition was held dedicated to the city’s history and archaeology.

The first exhibition on Prehistoric Macedonia was opened in 1996 at the new wing. When the Vergina finds were transferred back to its place of discovery in 1998, a new exhibition was organised at the Museum of Thessaloniki, entitled The Gold of Macedon by Dimitrios Grammenos and the archaeologists Betina Tsigarida and Despina Ignatiadou, in order to fill the gap of the remarkable royal burial assemblages.

The museum became a separate entity of the Ministry of Culture in 2002 and this led to extensive renovations of the building. It opened to the public in 2004 and was officially inaugurated in 2006 with five new thematic exhibitions. The exhibitions were also redesigned and exhibited in a way that would serve the needs of modern visitors.

Interest For Today

The collection of Archaic to Late Roman sculptures from Thessaloniki and Macedonia is displayed in the central section of the museum. It illustrates the history of Thessaloniki from prehistoric times to Late Antiquity.

On display is artifacts from:

• An Ionic temple of the 6th century BC
• Sculptures of all periods from Macedonia
• Exhibits from the excavations in the palace complex built by Galerius in the Thessaloniki city centre
• A reconstruction of the façade of the Macedonian tomb in Agia Paraskevi, with genuine architectural members
• Gold artefacts of the Archaic and Classical periods from the Sindos cemetery

Important exhibits have been singled out and further information about them is given to help visitors appreciate the importance of each exhibit and of the area and the period from which it comes.

The museum also hosts major temporary and thematic exhibitions:

• In the Manolis Andronikos Room is an exhibition titled The Coins of Macedonia from the 6^th century to 148 BC, with examples of coins that were circulating in Macedonia during that period.
• In the lobby a showcase displays some finds from the excavation of the Neolithic settlement at Makrygialos in Pieria, accompanied by information about the progress of the excavation.

The Gold of Macedon exhibition, that can be found in the new wing, includes finds from numerous excavations in Central Macedonia. The history of gold is its central theme, and it presents the culture of Macedonia discussing the use of gold in jewellery, sartorial decoration, gilding of objects and vessels, and coins. It focusses on the technology of the manufacture of gold jewellery, and the techniques of gold mining. There are also numerous finds from cemeteries, and their role in burial customs is described.

The Thessaloniki in Prehistory exhibition aims to recreate a picture of the Thermae Gulf littoral before the city of Thessaloniki was built. It presents the first excavations, which were carried out during the First World War by British and French troops, and finds from the most important prehistoric settlements in the area and is divided into three chronological groups namely Neolithic, Early and Late Bronze Age.

Overall, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki’s exhibition comprises of eight units, through which the visitors meet the world of ancient Macedonia, its culture, and 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

Hours of Business

• Winter: 15 November – 14 April open daily from 9:00 – 16:00
• Summer: 15 April – 14 November open daily from 8:00 – 20:00

Holidays

• 1 January: closed
• 25 March: closed
• Good Friday: 12:00 – 17:00
• Holy Saturday: 09:00 – 16:00
• 1 May: closed
• Easter Sunday: closed
• Easter Monday: 09:00 – 16:00
• Holy Spirit Day: 08:00 – 20:00
• 15 August: 08:00 – 20:00
• 28 October: 08:00 – 20:00
• 25 December: closed
• 26 December: closed

Tickets

• Full: €8, Reduced: €4
• From 1 November to 31 March the ticket price for the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is €4 for all visitors.

Special ticket package: Full: €15, Reduced: €8 which is valid for three days for:

• Ancient Agora of Thessaloniki
• Archaeological Museum of Ancient (Roman) Forum Thessaloniki
• Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
• Galerian Complex
• Museum of Byzantine Culture
• The White Tower
• White Tower: Museum

Free admission days

• 6 March (in memory of Melina Mercouri)
• 18 April (International Monuments Day)
• 18 May (International Museums Day)
• The last weekend of September annually (European Heritage Days)
• 28 October
• Every first Sunday from 1 November to 31 March

Contact information

• Address: 6 M. Andronikou 6, GR-54621, Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
• Coordinates: 40°37′30.36″N, 22°57′13.68″E
• Telephone: +30 2313 310201
• Fax: +30 2310 861306
• Email: amth@culture.gr

How To Get There?

The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki is in the centre of the city, a short distance from the beach and very close to other museums and archaeological sites. It is easily accessible by bus, train, taxi, or private vehicle.