Pointe-à-Callière and the Canadian Museum of History Welcome World Premiere of Exhibition on Ancient Greece

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Montréal, Québec, March 26, 2014 — Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History Complex, and the Canadian Museum of History are pleased to announce that they will be welcoming a world-premiere exhibition to Canada later this year: The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great. To be presented in Montréal from December 12, 2014 to April 26, 2015 and in Gatineau from June 5 to October 12, 2015, the exhibition covers more than 5,000 years of Greek culture, from the Neolithic Period to the Age of Alexander the Great.

“It is a privilege to welcome this exhibition — the largest presented at the Museum since we opened in 1992,” says Francine Lelièvre, Executive Director of Pointe-à-Callière. “As Canada’s only archaeological museum, Pointe-à-Callière is proud to be showcasing archaeological treasures from Ancient Greece. An exhibition of this scope and importance is also a vibrant tribute to the large Greek communities in Montréal and across Canada.”

The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great is the most vast and comprehensive exhibition on Ancient Greece ever presented in North America. It brings together more than 500 artifacts from 22 Greek museums, including many pieces never before displayed outside Greece. Among other treasures, visitors will be able to see a number of priceless objects, the result of some unparalleled archaeological discoveries.

“We are delighted that Pointe-à-Callière is participating in the consortium formed for the exhibition’s North American tour,” says Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. “The consortium, which our Museum is proud to lead, includes several prestigious museological institutions and we are all honoured that the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports has agreed to lend us artifacts of such great historical value for the benefit of Canadian and American audiences.”

To facilitate the production of an exhibition of this breadth, a consortium of North American museums was created. In addition to the Canadian Museum of History and Pointe-à-Callière, the consortium includes The Field Museum in Chicago and the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC. The Museum of History will oversee direction of the consortium, as well as work on production of the exhibition in association with the Directorate General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports.

“I am especially proud to see this unique project take shape as a showcase for Greece, our heritage, and our treasures, illustrating an important part of our history. The fact that 22 Greek museums have come together to produce this exhibition—the largest ever to be held outside of Greece—demonstrates both the scope and the value of this project, as a number of major objects will be travelling to America for the very first time,” stated Eleftherios Anghelopoulos, Greek Ambassador to Canada.

About Pointe-à-Callière
Pointe-à-Callière is the only major archaeology museum in all of Québec and Canada; its museum complex rises above several historic and archaeological sites of national significance that showcase major periods in the history of Montréal, Québec and Canada. It opened in 1992, on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the founding of Montréal. Pointe-à-Callière’s mission is to raise awareness and foster an appreciation of Montréal’s history, and to forge connections with regional, national and international networks dedicated to archaeology, history and urban issues.

About the Canadian Museum of History
Located on the shores of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Québec, the Canadian Museum of History is Canada’s largest and most popular cultural institution, attracting over 1.2 million visitors each year. The Museum’s principal role is to enhance Canadians’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the events, experiences, people and objects that have shaped Canada’s history and identity, as well as to enhance Canadians’ awareness of world history and culture.

The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great is an exhibition developed by the Hellenic Republic – Ministry of Culture and Sports – Directorate General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage (Athens, Greece) in collaboration with a consortium of museums led by the Canadian Museum of History and including Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History Complex (Montréal, Canada), the Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau, Canada), The Field Museum (Chicago, USA) and the National Geographic Museum (Washington, DC, USA).

The Embassy of Greece in Canada and the Embassy of Canada to Greece are working together to promote the exhibition and the Consulate General of Greece in Montréal is collaborating to the launching of this event.

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Media contacts:

Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History Complex
Claude-Sylvie Lemery
Director of Communications and Marketing
Telephone: 514-872-9124
cs.lemery@pacmusee.qc.ca

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