The Museum of Ancient Art ( da, Antikmuseet) in Aarhus,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

is museum dedicated to the ancient art and cultural history of the

mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

countries, in particular

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of Classical Antiquity, classical antiquity ( AD 600), th ...

Etruscan civilization The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...

and

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

. The museum is situated in the

university campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

in the district Midtbyen. The museum was founded in 1949 by a professor from Aarhus University as a study collection in classical archaeology. The basis of the collection was 500 artifacts from the ancient cultures around the mediterranean donated by the National Museum and a number of plaster casts of antique sculptures from a museum in Aarhus. In 1971 the present exhibition area was inaugurated and since then the collection has been much expanded through purchases, presents and donations. The new physical framework and the many additions meant the collection could serve a wider audience than university students and the name of the collection was changed to the Museum of Ancient Art. In 2003 the museum was renovated and has since hosted a number of special exhibits.

Collection

The museum collection includes about 4000 original artifacts from the ancient cultures in the mediterranean. The

mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fu ...

of the tempel singer Tabast and amulets in earthenware, clay figurines, bronze bowls and incense tubs illustrates Ancient Egypt and other Near Eastern oriental cultures. Ancient Greece is represented with a collection of ceramics from

Mycene In Greek mythology, Mycene or Mykene (Ancient Greek: Μυκήνη), was a daughter of Inachus, king of Argos, the sister of Phoroneus, and the wife of Arestor. She was said to be the eponym of Mycenae. Mythology Homer's ''Odyssey'', calling he ...

, black and red-ceramics from

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and decorated ceramics from

Corinthia Corinthia ( el, Κορινθία ''Korinthía'') is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the modern regions of Greece, region of Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part ...

Votive offering A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

s for the gods and burial gifts to the dead in the form of clay figures in bronze and drinking cups shows aspects of religious life. Lamps, utensils, keys, game pieces and glas shows everyday life in Roman society. The Greek coin collection is one of the most extensive in Northern Europe with about 2500 Greek and Roman coins spanning the East Greek city states in present-day

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

to coins from the Hellenic kingdoms. The Roman coins contains coins from the earliest Republic when they more closely resembled metal lumps to the late Antique period when the coins were engraved with portrait of

Emperor Constantine Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterrane ...

References

External links

Museum of Ancient Art
{{Coord, 56, 10, 13.8, N, 10, 12, 1.5, E, region:DK_type:landmark, display=title Museums in Aarhus Museums established in 1949 1949 establishments in Denmark