We are taking you on a journey through the ancient world from Bronze Age Troy to late antiquity. From vase finds from the Bronze Age layers of the Schliemann excavation in Troy to Greek vases and terracotta figurines from the Geometric to Classical periods and Roman and late antique marble portraits, we present artefacts and everyday objects from three millennia of Mediterranean history. The model of a Pompeian house offers detailed insights into the private lives of wealthy Roman citizens.
Tour through the permanent exhibition
Torso of an Artemis
The staircase of the Alte Nikolaischule, which was built in contrast to the historical building fabric during the restoration in 1994, forms the entrance area of the museum. The torso of a statue of Artemis in the ‘Versailles’ style is the first exhibit that awaits visitors here.
Named after a replica installed in the Palace of Versailles under Louis XIV, this type of statue shows Artemis dressed in a short chiton with her typical attributes of quiver and bow, ready to hunt.
Aegean Bronze Age. Geometric and archaic art. Ancient Cypros
The tour of the Atikenmuseum begins with the sarcophagi from Klazomenai on the west coast of Asia Minor, which were restored in 2014. This is followed by finds from various centres of the Bronze Age cultures of the ancient Aegean. In addition to the products of the Cycladic culture, ceramic artefacts and everyday objects from Heinrich Schliemann's famous excavations in Troia and the Mycenaean culture, which he also rediscovered, can also be admired here. Two showcases with ceramics and small bronze sculptures are dedicated to the first flowering of Greek art in the Geometric period (9th/8th century BC). Further display cases show the development of Greek small-scale art in the 7th and 6th centuries BC with typical characteristics of various landscapes such as Corinthia, Boeotia and the island of Cyprus.
The small cabinet-like Room II was restructured in summer 2019 as part of a course taught by art education and archaeology students. Visitors now have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of ancient fragrances and feel the shapes and painting of ancient drinking vessels.
One of the wall showcases displays different vessel shapes that were used to store scented oils. Below the wall display case are three containers that invite the visitor to perceive ancient odours. A workbench by the window allows visitors to immerse themselves in the Greek symposium and pick up replicas of ancient drinking utensils. Next to it are examples of the painting of such vessels.
Black and red-figure vase painting
The tour continues in Room III, which is dedicated to Attic pottery from the 6th and 5th centuries BC, the high point of Greek vase painting. Numerous important potters and vase painters of their time are represented here. In addition to their art-historical significance, Greek vase paintings give us an impressive picture of the world of the Greek gods and heroes, but also of the public and private lives of the people, like no other genre. They allow us to share in the adventures of Heracles, the armour of Achilles for the decisive battle before Troy, the drinking bouts of the Greek men and the wild goings-on of the wine god Dionysus amidst his entourage. They show us sporting competitions and also images of the life of women in their chambers.
Round and relief sculpture. Lower Italian and Etruscan small artefacts. Roman housing. Architectural ornamentation
Room IV is dedicated to marble sculpture from the Greek and Roman periods. Greek culture is represented by several fragments of Attic tomb reliefs and Roman copies of Greek masterpieces. In the small portrait gallery, visitors are confronted with portraits of Greek poets and thinkers, a Roman emperor and unknown private individuals. The collection is complemented by 3 plaster portraits that can and should be seen - i.e. touched - with the hands.
The second focus of the room is on the ancient cultures of the Italian region. Ceramics and small artefacts from various regions of Lower Italy, such as Apulia, Campania and Sicily, as well as Etruscan culture, are presented in several display cases. The special feature of these regions is the mixture of independent productions with the imitated techniques of Greek imported ceramics.
The final focus is on Roman domestic architecture and architectural sculpture. Using two models of the ‘Casa del Poeta Tragico’ in Pompeii and a copy of a wall painting of the same house, the most important components and characteristics of Roman dwellings and their furnishings are presented. This theme is extended by tactile models of three capitals and a puzzle of a temple front.
In order to enable all guests to enjoy a self-determined and informative visit, parts of the permanent exhibition have been equipped with various barrier-free elements. Under the title ‘Close enough to touch’, multi-sensory media such as touch and smell stations and audio stations have been created that make antiquity ‘close enough to touch’ on various levels.
Alte Nikolaischule
Since 1994, the Museum of Antiquities has been located on the first floor of the ‘Alte Nikolaischule’. This listed building was built in 1511/12 as Leipzig's first municipal school. Under the auspices of the Leipzig Cultural Foundation, it was refurbished from 1992-1994 in line with its listed status. On the museum floor, the small room directly above the entrance hall still has a wooden beamed ceiling from the late 16th century.
