National Archaeological Museum

Today we went to the National Archaeological Museum and a folk dance performance by Dora Stratou. I was super excited for the museum, at least mentally. These past couple of days I've been really physically exhausted, and so walking around the museum today for around four hours was terrible. And we only finished the first floor! We go back on Tuesday to see the rest of the museum. It was beyond exciting though to see in person all the artifacts that I've spent years studying. One of the girls in my group said "its kind of like seeing a celebrity," and I totally agree. Most of the interesting stuff was from Grave Circle A in Mycenae.

Bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon. Found in the sea of Cape Artemision, in northern Euboea. The god, shown in great stride, extends his left arm before his body, while holding a thunderbolt or trident in his right hand. His identification as Zeus or Poseidon is controversial (the former identification is more probable). It is one of the few preserved original statues of the Severe Style, notable for the exquisite rendering of motion and anatomy. It is certainly the work of a great sculptor of the early Classical Period. ca. 460 BC

We weren't allowed to pose with any object in the museum, but we figured a way around that.

A boar's tusk helmet, showed the prowess of the hunter who wore it.

A thin hammered layer of funerary gold, found in the grave of an infant in Mycenae.

Three handled Palace Style amphora with three large octopi within a marinscape of rocks and seaweed. A Mycenaean imitation of the Minoan Marine Style. From the Mycenaean cemetery at Argive Prosymna, tomb 2. 15th century BC

Weaponry from Mycenae.

The famous "Mask of Agamemnon" found by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876 at Mycenae in Grave Circle A, grave V. He believed it to be the funerary mask of the King Agamemnon, but archaeologists have dated it to earlier than the life of Agamemnon.

This is one of many Nielo Daggers, also found at Mycenae I believe. Niello just refers to the process in which it was decorated.

The dance performance was neat…there's not much else to say about it, I was a little tired and cranky by that point.

After the performance we decided to check out the Athenian night life, so we walked a few blocks to a bar. I guess you would call it a bar, but they also had food and hookah. So we all split hookah, and I got a chocolate strawberry crepe. My second one of the day! I didn't bring my camera out though :(

Night!