The new temporary exhibition 'Glorious Victories. Between Myth and History' at the National Archaeological Museum, was inaugurated by Greece's Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni earlier this week.
The exhibition includes 105 ancient works and a model of an Athenian trireme of the 5th century BC, which are related to and bring to the fore aspects of the victorious struggle of the Greeks against the Persians, assembled both from the National Archaeological Museum as from other museums of Greece, such as the Archaeological Museums of Astros, Thebes, Olympia, as well as from the Konstantinos Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology. Especially emblematic for the historical anniversary is the display of the bust of Themistocles, a Roman copy of an original work of the 5th cent. BC, from the Archaeological Museum of Ostia (Parco Archeologico di Ostia Antica).
'Glorious Victories. Between Myth and History' is a part of the celebratory programme for the 2,500-year anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae and the Naval Battle of Salamis.
The exhibition has eight sections. The first six sections deal with different episodes and battles of the Persian Wars. Material testimonies that show the military attire of the Greek hoplites and of the Persians, dedications of the winners in the large sanctuaries of antiquity, among which are the helmet of Miltiades, the arrowheads from the battlefield of Thermopylae, fragments of vases with traces of fire from the burning of Athens by the Persians, and inscriptions that recall to mind known and unknown protagonists of the historical events, are some of the works that the visitors will come across in the exhibition.
The other two sections present the resonance of the Persian Wars in pictorial art -ancient and modern- and their ideological significance.
The exhibition is enhanced by digital projections that contribute to the creation of a scenic ambience, in order for the visitors to perceive the dramatic atmosphere of the events and the inspiring meaning of Nike (Victory), offering also in some cases complementary interpretive material.
Visitors will be able to visit the exhibition until the end of February 2021.