THE GREEK WORLD INTRODUCTION
The Greek World
As you walk up the steps into the Greek World gallery, the first thing you see is a reconstructed marble herm, with the head of the god Hermes, which ancient Athenians recognized as a boundary marker. Here it divides the two main sections of the gallery: a chronological introduction at the right, and a thematic approach at your left.
On your left are several cases arranged chronologically to give an overview of what life was like in ancient Greece. This historical introduction chronicles the development of Greek civilization from the end of the Bronze Age, around 1100 BC, to the end of the Hellenistic period in 31 BC, by which time Rome had become the dominant power in the Mediterranean.
To the right of the herm, the gallery is arranged around several themes, such as religion, daily life, trade and manufacture, and funerary practice, with sections devoted to the Greek gods, athletic competition, pottery production and trade, warfare, women’s daily life, and the Greek house.
At the far end of the gallery is a reconstruction of an ancient Athenian cemetery. It is based on Athens’s most famous cemetery, the Kerameikos, situated just outside the Dipylon and Sacred Gates, with pathways lined with grave markers in family plots.
On your left are several cases arranged chronologically to give an overview of what life was like in ancient Greece. This historical introduction chronicles the development of Greek civilization from the end of the Bronze Age, around 1100 BC, to the end of the Hellenistic period in 31 BC, by which time Rome had become the dominant power in the Mediterranean.
To the right of the herm, the gallery is arranged around several themes, such as religion, daily life, trade and manufacture, and funerary practice, with sections devoted to the Greek gods, athletic competition, pottery production and trade, warfare, women’s daily life, and the Greek house.
At the far end of the gallery is a reconstruction of an ancient Athenian cemetery. It is based on Athens’s most famous cemetery, the Kerameikos, situated just outside the Dipylon and Sacred Gates, with pathways lined with grave markers in family plots.
