Tucked away on a regular residential street in Athens, the Benaki Museum looks rather like a stately manor from the outside. Though the building is pretty, there’s very little fanfare surrounding it, and you’d never guess what treasures are safeguarded inside.  

The Benaki holds some of the world’s most well-preserved Ancient Greek pottery, jewellery, clothing, and manuscripts. There’s a hololith ring carved out of a single piece of stone, which would be difficult for modern jewellers to make even with laser-cutting technology.  

Necklaces and crowns sparkle under the curated lighting in such an untarnished state that you’d swear they were made yesterday, not 2500 years ago. Scraps of cloth with intricately patterned embroidery and remnants of colourful dyes are pinned to displays in good enough condition; it’s as if you were picking out new fabric for curtains. Feats of Greek goldsmiths and textile makers are displayed in the Benaki like you’ve never seen them before, and it makes you fully comprehend how advanced they were.   

Photo credit: Benaki Museum, “Gold earrings decorated with painted enamel.”

The Benaki doesn’t just shelter Ancient Greek artefacts, either. Coptic, Byzantine, and Islamic art are conserved within its walls. Their Islamic art collection is one of the best I’ve ever seen, as each piece is carefully maintained and preserved. Ornately enamelled daggers, cups, and earrings fill every corner of the exhibit; it feels like walking through an ancient treasury. 

An entire floor is dedicated to the Valadoros collection, a vault of Greco-Christian ecclesiastical art spanning centuries, with a special focus on artefacts from the Byzantine Empire. The museum clearly takes its stewardship of these items very seriously, which is evident from how carefully restored and protected they are. I think that’s why it’s my favourite museum.  

Other collections show battered shards of pottery and thin sheets of gold, with maybe one or two intact pieces, and leave you to imagine what everything may have looked like whole. The Benaki has so many fully rehabilitated pieces; you don’t have to imagine anything. It’s right in front of you. And for those of you who love a museum gift shop as much as I do, the Benaki has the best I’ve ever visited, as they have beautiful reproductions of the jewellery in their collection for sale, as well as prints, small displays, and toys.  

If you’re in Athens and have a few hours, it’s worth a wander, even if you aren’t a history buff.   

Banner photo credit: Benaki Museum, Museum of Greek Culture Collection