Museum of Classical Archaeology, Cambridge facts for kids
Museum of Classical Archaeology
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| Location | Cambridge |
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| Type | University museum |
| Collections | plaster casts of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture |
| Visitors | 8,132 (2022) |
| Owner | University of Cambridge |
| University of Cambridge Museums | |
The Museum of Classical Archaeology is a cool museum in Cambridge, England. It is part of the University of Cambridge. Since 1982, the museum has been on the first floor of the Faculty of Classics building. This building is on the university's Sidgwick Site.
Contents
What You Can See There
The museum has one of the world's few collections of plaster casts. These are copies of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. The collection includes hundreds of casts. Many are copies of very famous ancient Greek and Roman statues.
Famous Casts to Explore
Some of the well-known casts you can see include:
- The Laocoön and His Sons
- The Farnese Hercules
- The Barberini Faun
- The Charioteer of Delphi
The Colorful Peplos Kore
The Peplos Kore is perhaps the most famous item in the museum. It is a plaster cast of an ancient Greek statue of a young woman. The original statue was made around 530 BCE. It was placed on the Acropolis of Athens.
In 1975, the museum tried to show how the original statue looked. They painted a cast of the figure with bright colors. This is because ancient Greek sculptures were often painted, not left plain white. This painted copy is shown next to an unpainted one. It helps people understand that ancient Greek statues were not always pure white marble.
Other Collections
The museum also has a large collection of sherds. These are pieces of broken pottery from ancient times. You can also see epigraphic squeezes. These are paper copies of ancient writings carved into stone.
Visiting the Museum
The museum is open to everyone. You can visit from Tuesday to Friday, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. On Saturdays, during university term time, it is open from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Part of a Bigger Group
This museum is one of eight museums that make up the University of Cambridge Museums group.
A Bit of History
The museum used to be in a different building. This old building was on Little St Mary's Lane. It was designed in 1883 by Basil Champneys. By the 1970s, the building was too small for the growing collection. So, the museum moved to its current home. The old building now holds the library for Peterhouse.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de Arqueología Clásica de Cambridge para niños
