Archaeological museums around Athens (Part A)

Those who visit Athens for the first time, spend a few hours for a visit to the museums in the city center. Equally interesting, however, are the archeological museums that are located nearby, but outside Athens.

In ancient times, the region of Attica and the islands of the Saronic Gulf were places of intense commercial activity, cradles of culture and history. So in addition to the classics, visit the following museums whenever you get the chance.

Archaeological Museum of Aegina

Aegina is an island with a rich history. Its archeological museum is worth a visit, as it belongs to the most remarkable archeological museums in Greece. It is located next to the archeological site of Kolona. It is the first museum founded in Greece after the revolution. The inauguration took place in 1829. Initially it functioned as the Central Museum. The first Greek governor, Ioannis Kapodistrias, was its founder. The Archaeological Museum of Aegina hosted several archaeological finds of then independent Greece, since Aegina was the first Greek capital.

Among its three showrooms, it houses a collection of ancient jewelry, pottery and sculpture, coins, weapons and bronze vessels, tools and objects of everyday life. The most important exhibit is the statue of the Sphinx of Aegina.

In the future the museum will return to the Kapodistrian Orphanage where it was housed for the first time. There it will be renamed the Timeless Museum of Aegina.

Archaeological Museum of Poros

The Archaeological Museum of Poros is housed in a two-storey neoclassical building in Korizi Square. It was built in the ‘60s. The exhibitions it hosts date from the Mycenaean to the Roman era. They cover two rooms with objects discovered by the French Archaeological School in Troizina. Excavations of the sanctuary of Poseidon in Kalavria are also included. You will also see ancient inscriptions and Hellenistic figurines of Saint Constantine in Methana and objects from old excavations in Ermioni.

Marathon Archaeological Museum and Battlefield, Marathon

The Marathon Archaeological Museum is located in Vrana Marathon, in eastern Attica. It was inaugurated in 1975 and includes five rooms and a covered patio.

Among the exhibits of the Archaeological Museum of Marathon, visitors can see finds from the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), the surrounding area of ​​Marathon and the Sanctuary of the Egyptian Gods, the ruins of which are located in Nea Makri. Of course, one can see both mounds of Marathon. The first and closest to the museum, is the tomb of the dead bodies of Plataea who were killed in the battle of Marathon. The second is the tomb of the 192 Athenians who also lost their lives in the battle of Marathon.