Treasures of Ancient Greece at the Canadian Museum of History

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Gatineau, Quebec, June 4, 2015 — Priceless treasures from the dawn of Western civilization will be showcased this summer and autumn at the Canadian Museum of History as it presents The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great, the most remarkable exhibition about Ancient Greece ever to tour North America. The exhibition will run from June 5 to October 12, 2015.

Unprecedented in size and scope, the exhibition explores 5,000 years of history and features over 500 outstanding artifacts from 21 Greek museums, including many pieces never before displayed outside their homeland. The artifacts illuminate Greece’s role as a cradle of Western culture and democracy.

The exhibition was organized by a consortium of four museums in North America. The consortium, led by the Canadian Museum of History, also includes Pointe-à-Callière in Montréal, The Field Museum in Chicago and the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C. in association with the Directorate General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs.

“The Canadian Museum of History is proud of its leadership role in developing this extraordinary exhibition, and we are thrilled to share The Greeks with our visitors,” said Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. “The exhibition underlines our continuing commitment to bring important stories of world history and culture to Canadian audiences.”

The exhibition’s timeline begins around 6000 BC, revealing the deep roots of Greek culture. It ends in the days of Alexander the Great (356 to 323 BC), whose military conquests created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Agamemnon, of the exhibition’s title, was the mythical King of Mycenae, said to be the first ruler to unite the Greeks in a common cause: war against the Trojans.

Among the many notable artifacts are solid gold funerary masks and adornments, bronze and iron weapons and helmets, marble statues and bas reliefs, and a wondrous array of clay figurines, amphorae and other objects. Especially breathtaking is a large and intricate wreath of foliage and flowers crafted from gold and possibly enamel.

The exhibition offers a revealing and dazzling look at a civilization that changed the world in profound and enduring ways. Visitors will encounter ideas, innovations and achievements from ancient Greece that are echoed today in our politics, philosophy, arts and literature, mathematics, architecture, medicine and sports. Visitors will also encounter human stories of triumph and defeat, and meet the famous gods and mortals of Greek antiquity, from Aristotle to Zeus.

The exhibition premiered from December 2014 to April 2015 at Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Archaeology and History Complex, where it set a new winter attendance record. After its presentation at the Canadian Museum of History, the exhibition will travel to The Field Museum in Chicago and then to the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC.

The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great is presented from June 5 to October 12, 2015, and is complemented by a souvenir catalogue published by the Canadian Museum of History. In addition, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs has published a deluxe illustrated catalogue that reveals the most recent archaeological discoveries of Ancient Greece.

The exhibition is developed by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Education and Religious Affairs (Athens, Greece), the Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau, Canada), The Field Museum (Chicago, USA), the National Geographic Museum (Washington, DC, USA) and Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex (Montréal, Canada), with the support of the Government of Canada.

Safe transportation of the artifacts during the North American tour is provided by PACART.

Located on the shores of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, 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.

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