The National Archaelogical Museum - Part 1

The Archeology Museum is a favorite of many tourists. I can see why. I only saw part of it, but I'll return when I get back from Crete.

Unusual sculpture outside the museum. It reminds me of a sculpture we recently saw in Detroit near the lighthouse on Bell Isle.

The National Archaelogical Museum has 11,000 exhibits. 

                      The solid clay Thinker from 4500-3300 BC

This is a gold death mask known as The Mask of Agamemnon - 16 century BC

This script, named Linear B by Arthur Evans, an archeologist, is a syllabic script with each symbol corresponding to a syllable. Linear B symbols are below. 

It was used by the Mycenaeans after 1450 BC but was not deciphered until 1952. Earlier tablets, using a script named named Linear A, have not yet been deciphered. 

 This large Hellenistic bronze stature of a young boy riding a horse - The Jockey of Artemision - dates to 150-140 BC. It is a rare example of a racehorse in Greek sculpture. 

 The two statues above were found at specific street locations in Athens. When the city built the subway system, they frequently found antiquities. I found it fascinating that their exact location was named on their description.

                     And finally, a cat photo, relaxing on a priceless antiquity.