After four trips to Greece in the past five years, I finally made it to the Benaki Museum! There are actually several buildings scattered throughout Athens, including museums of modern art, Islamic art, and toys. I visited the “main” building, which houses artifacts representative of Greek culture. It totally exceeded my expectations.
I spent five happy hours gazing, reading and learning about the collections spanning from the Neolithic period (6500) to the 1821 War of Independence. Although some people may tire of looking at pottery, jewelry and items unearthed during archaeological digs in Greece, I don’t. Each shard, figurine, jewel or stone is unique and fascinating. Fashioned by hands of the past, they depict a world unknown to me. They expand my imagination and add to my collective earth-life experience; for when I exit the building, I know a little more than when I arrived.
I hope that these photos and descriptive captions will help you envision the world of your Hellenic ancestors, whether they lived 3,000 or 300 years ago. If you click on the photos, they will expand in another window.
The core collection of the Benaki Museum comes from the holdings of Antonios Benakis (1873-1954) a member of one of the leading families in Greece. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt and eventually settled in Athens in 1926. His lifetime of acquisitions has educated and enlightened thousand of people. I am grateful for the time I had to explore this fascinating museum.