Check out these shots of the new temporary exhibition “Glorious Victories: Between Myth & History,” just opened at the @namuseumathens!

The exhibition commemorates 2,500 years since Thermopylae & Salamis & features one big Italian loan!

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#greece #museum #art #archaeology

2/8 The bulk of the exhibition draws on the collections of the @namuseumathens itself, presenting victory monuments, casualty lists, dedicatory inscriptions, contemporary depictions of Persians, and iconography associated with particular historical events! – bei Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο

3/8 The exhibition is broken up battle by battle, beginning with Marathon. Welcome loans from other major Greek collections—especially the Archaeological Museum of Olympia—include captured arms & dedicated armor (tentatively) linked to these events! – bei Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο

4/8 Maybe the most effective display is this ragtag hoplite, assembled from bits of armor from Athens, Olympia, & Arcadia. I don’t think I’ve seen a panoply together like this!

Oh, and how great are these arrows from Thermopylae, displayed like they’re blotting out the sun! – bei Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο

5/8 Making our way to the Battle of Salamis, we’re greeted with all sorts of representations of biremes, triremes, & other warships from the 8th century to the Classical Period! – bei Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο

6/8 Since he was the star of Salamis, it’s only fair that Themistocles takes center stage! The museum secured a loan of the spectacular bust of Themistocles from Ostia & it’s wonderful to see it in this context, I just wish there was more info on why it’s such an important piece! – bei Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο

7/8 Of course the gods are found throughout the exhibition, intertwined with every event, place, and historical figure. You’ll see familiar faces, like the cult statues of Damophon from Lykosoura & some great new (to me) pieces, like this amazing bronze Poseidon by Lysippus! – bei Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο

8/8 Other highlights include everyone’s favorite Marathon casualty list from Loukou, excellent pieces from the museum’s ceramics collection, & much more sculpture.

The exhibition isn’t perfect—the texts are one-sided & the AV is over the top—but it’s absolutely worth a visit! – bei Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο