Overview
Whether you've been fascinated with ancient Greece since you studied classics at school, or you also just watched Troy on DVD about 500 times back in 2004, you won't want to miss a huge international exhibition coming to Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes finally arrives on our shores next month from the British Museum's world-renowned collection. It's set to be the largest selection of ancient artefacts ever loaned by the museum to New Zealand.
On show from Friday, June 10 until Sunday, November, 6, the exhibition will showcase a wide range of treasures and stories from ancient Greece. Those include a selection of iconic sculptures from the 'Mausoleum at Halikarnassos' — one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World — and a gold lion-headed pendant which harks back to around 450–400 BC.
The Trustees of the British Museum
The exhibition was originally meant to be on show in 2020 — those of you with excellent memories might remember we covered the announcement back in 2019. But of course, as was the case with many scheduled 2020 events, it was postponed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
Better late than never, this mammoth exhibition will offer museum-goers a chance to get up close and personal with one of the most fascinating and remarkable civilisations of human history. Among the dozens of priceless objects on display will be Greek vases depicting athletes, gods and battles, as well as spectacular terracotta and marble statues, weapons, armour, toys, games, and jewellery.
Tickets are $25 for adults and $12 for children aged 5-13, while under-fives can scoot in for free. While you're at the museum, we'd heavily encourage checking out 'Peter', the 67-million-year-old dinosaur skeleton that's also taking up residence for the next few months.
Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes will be open to the public from Friday, June 10 to Sunday, November 6 2022 in Auckland Museum's Auaha Atea Nui Special Exhibition Suite. Tickets for the exhibition will be available on May 24.
Top images: The Trustees of the British Museum