7 June 2010 | The exhibition “Eretria: Insights into an Ancient City,” which showcases the life of an antique Greek city through excavation finds, drawing reconstructions, models and video projections, is on display at Athens’s National Archaeological Museum until August 25.

The exhibition, structured in four sections, includes a total of 437 ancient artifacts.

The first section addresses the city’s historical course through the ages. Having been continuously inhabited since the beginning of the third millennium BC, the area of Eretria first flourished during the subsequent Geometric period, around the eight century BC. It played an active part in the creation of commercial relations with the East and participated widely in the first phase of the Greek colonization in Northern Greece, South Italy and Sicily.

The objects exhibited in this section shed light on the first settlement, the prosperity of the city in the Geometric period, the commerce and colonies, as well as the development of the alphabetical writing system.

The second section of the exhibition focuses on the city’s everyday life. Following a period of recession during the fifth century BC, as a result not only of the Persian wars but also of its opposition to Athenian domination, the city was reorganised and flourished during the fourth century BC, when new public buildings and luxurious private houses were constructed.

The display showcases public life through presenting the function of the Agora, the Stoai and the Gymnasia. Private life, on the other hand, is represented by architectural remains of houses, household utensils, and groups of objects related to marriage, women’s life, children and domestic cult practices.

The religious life of the Eretrians, reflected in the researched cults and sanctuaries, is the focus of the exhibition’s third section. The sanctuary of Apollo Daphnephoros, the patron god of Eretria, underwent successive phases of reconstruction, from the end of the eight century onwards. In addition to it, the exhibits are also linked to the sanctuaries of Athena, Artemis, Demeter and the North Sacrificial area. The finds from the Iseion also confirm that the worship of the Egyptian goddess Isis was the main foreign worship of the city, while the cuirassed statues from the Sebasteion bear witness to the emperors’ worship during Roman times.

The fourth and last part of the exhibition addresses death and afterlife through the presentation of the necropolises, graves and grave offerings, with burial practices’ varying according to the time period, the identity of the deceased and his social and financial situation.

“During the Geometric period, the cinerary urns reveal that cremation was a dominant practice for eminent adults, while the common practice for children was burial in clay vessels,” according to the museum’s official explanation of the exhibition. “Grave offerings, such as gold diadems and other jewelry, adorned the deceased before burial, while weapons were usually placed in the grave to highlight the heroic status of the dead. Superbly painted lekythoi, bronze mirrors and jewels represent the customary offerings deposited in the graves of the Archaic and Classical period. Finally, the rich finds from the Macedonian-type “Tomb of the Erotes” reflect the ostentation which was so prominent during the Hellenistic era, while the glass and clay vessels exhibited are typical grave goods of Roman times.”

In addition, drawings and models representing some of the most important buildings of Eretria are also included in the exhibition. Watercolors illustrate landscapes of Eretria during ancient times or scenes of everyday life, while the accompanying videos invite visitors to discover the city of today, with its archaeological remains and different phases of excavation.

The scientific catalogue of the exhibition consists of entries and photographs of 437 items, compiled by distinguished Swiss and Greek archaeologists.

“Eretria: Insights into an Ancient City,” is co-organized by the National Archaeological Museum and the IA’ Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities as an initiative of the Swiss School of Archaeology, the only permanent archaeological mission outside Switzerland. Since its foundation in 1964, the Swiss School of Archaeology has been excavating and studying the ruins of ancient Eretria in Euboea.

Following its display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the exhibition will be moved to the Basel Museum of Ancient Art and Ludwig Collection, where it will be shown between September of 2010 and January of 2011.

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