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; sherds; epigraphic squeezes |
| 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's part of the famous University of Cambridge. This museum first opened its doors way back in 1884.
Since 1982, you can find it on the first floor of the Faculty of Classics building. This building is located on the university's Sidgwick Site. It's a special place where you can explore ancient Greek and Roman art.
Contents
What You'll See: Amazing Casts
This museum has one of the world's largest collections of plaster casts. These casts are copies of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. Imagine seeing hundreds of these detailed copies!
They include famous artworks like the Laocoön and His Sons. You can also see the mighty Farnese Hercules. Other cool casts are the Barberini Faun and the Charioteer of Delphi. These casts let us study ancient art up close.
The Colorful Peplos Kore
One of the most famous pieces here is the Peplos Kore. It's a plaster cast of an ancient Greek statue of a young woman. The original statue was placed on the Acropolis of Athens around 530 BCE.
What makes this cast special? In 1975, the museum painted a copy of the statue. They tried to show how bright and colorful the original would have looked. Ancient Greek statues were not plain white!
This painted copy is displayed next to an unpainted one. It helps us understand that ancient art was full of vibrant colors.
More Ancient Treasures
Besides the sculptures, the museum also has other interesting items. It holds a big collection of sherds. These are broken pieces of ancient pottery. Each sherd can tell a story about the past.
You can also see epigraphic squeezes. These are paper copies of ancient writings carved into stone. They help experts study old languages and history.
Visiting the Museum
The Museum of Classical Archaeology is one of eight museums in the University of Cambridge Museums group. It's open to everyone who wants to learn about ancient times.
You can visit from Tuesday to Friday, between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. On Saturdays, during university term time, it's open from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. It's a great place to discover history!
See also
In Spanish: Museo de Arqueología Clásica de Cambridge para niños
