Archaeological Museum of Patras

Patras, Greece

The new Archaeological Museum of Patras opened in 2009. Built with 8,000 square metres of interior spaces, it is the second-largest museum of Greece. The area surrounding the museum comprises a 500-square-metre pool, a shiny metallic dome and greenery. In the near future, the vacant land next to the museum will be turned into a cultural park.

It houses collections about the history of Patras and the surrounding area from prehistory to the end of Roman times. The museum has four thematic sections, three of which are permanent and one is periodic. The periodic section will be hosting various exhibitions around the year. According to the archaeologists of the 6th Antiquity Conservancy, the 70% of the items exhibited are seeing the light of day for the first time in the past thirty years.

Thematic sections

The first and bigger section, exhibits items of everyday life, working tools, cosmetics and jewellery from Mycenaean, Ancient, Hellenistic and Roman Greece, with the oldest being of 17th century BC. Apart from these items, this section includes partly reconstructed Roman residences, in natural size by the original materials. In the same place, there is also a part of one of the biggest mosaic collections in Greece, consisting of 14 Roman mosaics covering a total of 250 square metres, vast majority of which are vertically placed. Most of these mosaics were discovered in ruins of luxurious urban residences in the city of Patras.

The section of the Public Life covers the period from 1500 B.C. until the 4th century A.D. There are maps of the Roman territory that frame the information material for the monumental topography of the city. There are exhibits from the Roman period, mainly related to commercial activities, social and administrative organization, cults and entertainment of the inhabitants.

The section of necropolis is dedicated to tombs and items discovered in Patras and the greater region of Achaia. It presents the burial architecture and its evolution from the prehistoric till the Roman times, not only by the items found but with the reconstruction of various types of tombs. In fact there are three totally reconstructed tombs, two Mycenaean and one Roman at their natural sizes with the skeletons and their gems. In the same place there's also information about the burial customs and beliefs, and the burning of the dead in Ancient Greece.

In the periodic section of the museum, various exhibitions will be taking place around the year. The first exhibition, which lasts till the end of November, is dedicated to 'Plants and their Culture in Europe' from the ancient world till today. Future plans include a sketch gallery and a lectures schedule.

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Patras, Greece
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Details

Founded: 2009
Category: Museums in Greece

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Una Čanak (5 months ago)
Great museum, maybe equally rich as the Archeological museum in Athens, but much more interesting for sightseeing, because there's not even 10% of visitors compared to Athen's museum, so you can really enjoy it. It covers different periods through millennia, you can see wonderful mosaics, vases, coins, helmets and even skeletons. If you're on summer vacation, don't forget that Greece is not only the sea and beach, but also much more than that. Recommendation - must see it!
Paul (5 months ago)
Absolutely magnificent museum with loads of artifacts from 18th century BC Mycenaeans through the Roman era (4th century AD). All from Patras! There were many beautiful Roman mosaics in good condition. The museum is chronologically ordered in topical areas. Very impressive!
Graziano Caramori (7 months ago)
It is not famous as Athens Archeological museum but very interesting, personal very kind. It definitely deserves a visit. It is not distant from the port and it has its own parking. Adults ticket 6 euro.
Dan Oleynik (8 months ago)
A small and beautiful museum showcasing various artifacts discovered during excavations in Patras. The entrance fee is affordable, and children under 5 can enter for free. We spent little under an hour exploring the exhibits. All stands have descriptions in both Greek and English.
Pillow Nation (10 months ago)
Customer service was great. They had a lot of variety, actual artifacts, and a couple of 3D printed models for you to feel the layout of certain structures, I wish there were more of those. Bring and ID if you're under 25, you might get a free entry if I remember correctly.
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