International Museum Day

  • The Hare of the Acropolis

    On the occasion of this year’s International Museum Day, the Acropolis Museumhas produced, in collaboration with the Hellenic Mint, commemorative medals dedicated to the hare of the Acropolis.The ancient Greeks knew a lot about hares, including their great speed, especially when dashing uphill, their selection of high vantage points to spot possible danger, their ability to use their long ears as a rudder when running, as well as their playfulness and amorous disposition. The commemorative medals are available in the Museum Shops.

    coin of hare

    On this day, Sunday 18 May 2014, the Museum will welcome visitors with two special gallery talks on the following topics: ‘The hare of the Acropolis’ and ‘The Moschophoros: a new display of an Acropolis masterpiece’.The Museum will be open half-day due to the municipal elections, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free entry for all its visitors.

     

          

    ‘The hare of the Acropolis’

    Amongst the hundreds of small votive offerings from the Acropolis (6th century BC) one that stands out is a bronze hare landing on its front legs after a spectacular leap to elude its pursuers. Visitors will have the opportunity to hear from Museum Archaeologist-Hosts attractive stories about the hare and other animals of which their bronze effigies are displayed in the Museum showcases.

      

    The Moschophoros: a new display of an Acropolis masterpiece’

    The Moschophoros (Calf-bearer), one of the most important sculptures of archaic Acropolis recently changed its form. Its massive leg props have been replaced with light metallic ones, which significantly improve the aesthetics of the exhibition of the sculpture. Visitors will learn from Museum Conservators the hidden aspects behind the procedure of this new display.

      

    Acropolis Museum The Moschophoros 211L5972 low Photography Giorgos Vitsaropoulos

     

    hare sculpture

    Gallery Talks Program:

    ‘The hare of the Acropolis’:at 10 a.m. in English, at 10:30 a.m. in French and at 12 noon in Greek.

    ‘The Moschophoros: a new display of an Acropolis masterpiece’:at 11 a.m. in Greek and at 11:30 a.m. in English.

    The Gallery Talks are limited to 30 visitors per session on a first-come basis. For further details, please refer to the Information Desk at the Museum entrance.

  • On Saturday 18 May 2019 the Acropolis Museum celebrates International Museum Day and European Night of Museums and invites visitors to participate in family programmes with free entry and extended opening hours from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight. The Museum restaurant will operate during the same hours.

    Family programmes

    On Saturday 18 May 2019 our younger visitorswill be able to participate in the two free family programmes: ‘Experience the Panathinaea Festival with all my senses’ (3-5 years old) and ‘What happened to Athena’s statue from the Parthenon?’ (6-9 years old). 

    Athina

     

    The cranes of the Acropolis

    crane

    On the occasion of this year’s International Museum Day, the Acropolis Museum has produced, in collaboration with Hellenic Mint, commemorative medals dedicated to the cranes of the Acropolis. On the cornice of the first Parthenon (570 BC), cranes (geranos, in Greek) were depicted in horizontal flight, rendered in soft colors and in dense formation. For the ancient Greeks, the crane symbolized intelligence, alertness and good fortune. The medals will be available for purchase in the museum shop, located on the ground.

    the crane of the acropolis

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