The National Archaeological Museum of Athens has always aspired to display Greek culture in its entirety. Cypriote art is considered to be an integral part of that culture, and there would have been a large void in the collections of the Museum without the Cypriote collection, which is an inseparable part of Greek heritage. In the late Mycenaean period the island of Cyprus, which dominates the Eastern Mediterranean region at the crossroads between East and West, was inhabited by Achaean immigrants who fled from the Peloponnese at the end of the 13th century B.C. From this period onwards its culture is Greek and the island finds itself under the protection of `Kypris`- Aphrodite.
Due to its geographical location, Cyprus is a melting pot of cultural currents, and exhibits an important culture that receives influences from all areas of the Eastern Mediterranean. This dynamic mixture and coexistence of Greek and Eastern elements is clearly mirrored in the various expressions of Cypriote art - in pottery, sculpture and minor arts. It was, therefore, natural for this particular collection of fine art to be welcomed in the National Museum, for its acquisition was both desired and sought after.
The collection of Cypriote antiquities in the National Archaeological Museum consists of approximately 850 objects, representing almost all the chronological periods of Cypriote art, from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman period. From this corpus, there are 160 small stone sculptures and approximately 55 fine bronze objects; pottery and some terracotta figurines comprise the remainder of the collection.
The compilation of this collection occurred in various stages, with the acquisition of isolated objects or assembled groups, and from purchases, donations and confiscated material.
As early as the 19th century, the first Cypriote ceramic vases and terracottas were acquired by the National Museum from the Archaeological Society of Athens, which had obtained the objects through purchases and donations.
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