The exhibition’s only stop in the Midwest is in Chicago and its appearance is the result of a partnership between The Field Museum and the National Hellenic Museum. In addition to The Greeks at The Field Museum, the National Hellenic Museum also will host related programs in its Greektown home.
“We are honored to be able to present such an important exhibition that shows the emergence of Greek culture from its roots in the early agricultural villages of the Neolithic to the imperial expansion of Alexander,” says Field Museum Curator William Parkinson. “This exhibition is not your typical Art Historical display of pretty vases and statues; it really gives the visitor an opportunity to see the evolution not only art, but also of Greek culture, politics, and economics over the long-term.”
Presented in chronological order, the exhibition begins with the Neolithic Period, around 6000 BC, and continues until the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, marking the end of the Classical period. Highlights of the exhibition include artifacts from the tombs of the first rulers of Mycenae, many of which never have traveled outside of Greece, a burial that depicts the ritual of burial and sacrifice in a funeral pyre described by Homer in the Iliad, a replicated Illyrian warrior helmet that visitors may try on, grave goods from the tomb of Philip II, and inscribed pieces of pottery (ostraka) that were used to ostracize even the most powerful leaders of Classical Greek society.
Tickets to The Greeks: From Agamememnon to Alexander the Great will be included in both Discovery and All Access passes to the Museum. Special discounts available for Chicago residents.
The Field Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chicago Park District on behalf of the people of Chicago.
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