About New Acropolis Museum in Athens City

The Acropolis Museum is one of the most important archaeological museums in Greece, located on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, at the foot of the Acropolis of Athens.

Standing only a short walk from the Acropolis, the museum brings together thousands of archaeological finds discovered on the sacred rock and its surrounding slopes, offering visitors a deeper understanding of the history, religion, art, and architecture of ancient Athens.

Visit the Acropolis Museum together with the Acropolis of Athens on our Morning Athens Sightseeing Tour.

The Acropolis Museum at a Glance

The Acropolis Museum opened to the public in June 2009 and was created specifically to house and display archaeological finds from the Acropolis of Athens.

The museum was designed by the architect Bernard Tschumi in collaboration with the Greek architect Michael Photiades.

Its architecture is based on a close relationship between the ancient monuments, the archaeological remains beneath the building, natural light, and the movement of visitors through the exhibition spaces.

Large glass surfaces provide views toward the Acropolis and allow natural light to illuminate many of the sculptures in conditions that recall their original outdoor setting.

Architecture of the Museum

The design of the Acropolis Museum responds directly to the archaeological site on which it stands.

The building is supported above the remains of an ancient Athenian neighborhood, allowing the archaeological structures below to remain visible and protected.

Glass floors in several parts of the museum allow visitors to look directly down onto the excavations beneath the building.

As visitors move upward through the museum, the exhibitions follow the historical development of the Acropolis, from everyday life on its slopes to the great monuments of the Classical period.

Gallery of the Acropolis Slopes

The visit begins with the Gallery of the Acropolis Slopes on the ground floor.

The gallery's gently sloping floor recalls the ascent toward the Acropolis itself.

The exhibits come from sanctuaries, houses, workshops, and other areas that once occupied the slopes surrounding the sacred rock.

Objects connected with everyday life, religious practices, weddings, childhood, household activities, and local worship help visitors understand that the Acropolis was surrounded by a living and active ancient city.

The Archaic Acropolis Gallery

The Archaic Acropolis Gallery presents works from approximately 700 to 480 BC, a period of major political, social, and artistic development in Athens.

During these centuries, Athens underwent profound changes that eventually contributed to the development of democracy and the cultural achievements of the Classical period.

The spacious gallery allows visitors to walk freely around many of the sculptures and examine them from all sides.

Among the most characteristic works are the famous Korai, statues of young women dedicated to Athena by wealthy individuals and families.

Many of these sculptures still preserve traces of the bright colors that originally decorated ancient Greek statues, offering important evidence that ancient marble sculpture was often richly painted.

The Propylaia, Temple of Athena Nike and Erechtheion

Another section of the museum is dedicated to sculptures and architectural elements from the other major Classical monuments of the Acropolis.

These include the Propylaia, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis, the elegant Temple of Athena Nike, and the complex sanctuary known as the Erechtheion.

Visitors can examine original architectural members and sculptures much more closely than would be possible on the monuments themselves.

The exhibition helps explain the architectural and religious relationships between the different buildings that formed the Classical Acropolis.

The Caryatids

Among the museum's most famous exhibits are the original Caryatids from the Erechtheion.

These sculpted female figures once supported the roof of the monument's southern porch instead of traditional architectural columns.

Five of the six original Caryatids are displayed in the Acropolis Museum. The sixth is held by the British Museum in London.

The figures have been carefully conserved, allowing visitors to observe their elaborate hairstyles, clothing, and sculptural details at close range.

Replica figures now stand on the Erechtheion itself in order to protect the original sculptures from environmental damage.

The Parthenon Gallery

The highlight of the museum is the Parthenon Gallery, located on the upper floor.

The gallery is designed with the same orientation as the Parthenon itself, creating a direct visual relationship between the ancient temple and its surviving sculptures.

Its rectangular central core corresponds to the dimensions and orientation of the Parthenon's inner structure, allowing the sculptural decoration to be displayed according to its original position on the monument.

Large glass walls provide panoramic views toward the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

The Parthenon Frieze, Metopes and Pediments

The Parthenon Gallery presents the three principal groups of sculptural decoration from the temple: the frieze, metopes, and pediments.

The continuous Ionic frieze, originally approximately 160 meters long, is generally interpreted as representing the procession of the Greater Panathenaia, the most important festival held in honor of Athena.

The temple's 92 metopes represented mythological battles, including conflicts between gods and Giants, Greeks and Amazons, Lapiths and Centaurs, and scenes associated with the Trojan War.

The sculptures of the east pediment depicted the birth of Athena, while the west pediment represented the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the patronage of Athens.

Original sculptures preserved in Athens are displayed alongside casts of surviving pieces held in museums outside Greece, allowing visitors to understand the original sequence of the decoration.

The Parthenon and Athena Parthenos

The museum also helps visitors understand the original appearance and function of the Parthenon.

Inside the ancient temple once stood the enormous chryselephantine statue of Athena Parthenos, created by the sculptor Pheidias.

The statue was approximately 12 meters high and was made using gold and ivory over an internal structure.

Although the original statue has not survived, ancient descriptions and later copies help reconstruct its appearance and importance within the temple.

From the 5th Century BC to the End of Antiquity

The museum's exhibitions also present the history of the Acropolis after the great building program of the 5th century BC.

Reliefs of Athenian decrees, portraits, Roman copies of Classical works, inscriptions, votive offerings, and representations of philosophers and historical figures illustrate the changing character of Athens over many centuries.

The exhibits cover the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, and Late Antique periods and demonstrate that the Acropolis continued to play an important role long after the age of Pericles.

The Archaeological Excavation Beneath the Museum

One of the most distinctive features of the Acropolis Museum is the extensive archaeological excavation beneath the building.

The remains belong to an ancient Athenian neighborhood that developed on the southern side of the Acropolis over many centuries.

Visitors can see the foundations of houses, streets, courtyards, wells, drainage systems, workshops, and other structures that reveal how ordinary Athenians lived close to the sacred hill.

Sections of the excavation can be viewed through transparent floors inside and outside the museum, creating a direct connection between the modern building and the ancient city beneath it.

The Excavation Museum

A major addition to the visitor experience is the Excavation Museum, which opened in 2024 within the archaeological site beneath the Acropolis Museum.

The exhibition presents approximately 1,150 objects discovered during excavations of the ancient neighborhood.

The finds represent more than 4,500 years of human activity in the area and include pottery, household objects, tools, figurines, coins, and other items connected with everyday life.

Unlike the monumental sculptures displayed on the upper floors, these objects provide a more personal view of the people who lived and worked around the Acropolis through different periods of Athenian history.

The Museum and the Parthenon Sculptures

The Acropolis Museum also plays an important role in the continuing international discussion concerning the surviving sculptures of the Parthenon.

The Parthenon Gallery displays the original sculptures currently preserved in Athens together with casts of pieces held elsewhere, including many in the British Museum.

This arrangement allows visitors to understand how the surviving elements originally formed a single sculptural composition on the Parthenon.

Greek authorities continue to seek the reunification of the surviving Parthenon sculptures in Athens, while the British Museum maintains custody of a substantial part of the collection in London.

Visit the Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis Museum is an essential companion to a visit to the Acropolis of Athens.

While the archaeological site allows visitors to experience the monuments in their original setting, the museum provides the opportunity to examine their sculptures, architectural elements, inscriptions, and archaeological finds at close range.

Together, the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum offer one of the most complete introductions to the history, religion, architecture, and artistic achievements of ancient Athens.

Visit both sites on our Morning Athens Sightseeing Tour.