The first Archaeological Museum in Thessaloniki opened its doors to the general public back in 1925. The home of the museum was the Eni Giami Mosque (better known as the New Mosque), built in the early 20th century by the talented Italian architect Vitaliano Posseli. Over time, however, it became clear that the rapidly growing collection was in dire need of a larger facility, and in the 1950s it was decided to allocate a plot of land on Manolis Andronikos Street specifically for the construction of a new museum.
The inauguration of the museum was held at the Manolis Andronikos Street.
The museum, designed by the famous Greek architect Patroclus Karantinos, was inaugurated in 1962 to mark the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the city from the Turks who had dominated Thessaloniki for almost five centuries. In 1980, a new exhibition wing was erected, where, until 1997, museum visitors could admire the unique collection of artefacts from the royal tomb of Vergina (most of the treasures are now housed in the Archaeological Museum of Vergina).
The collection of the Archaeological Museum is vast and varied and perfectly illustrates the history of the development of the so-called Greek Macedonia, from prehistoric times to late antiquity. The museum's collection includes various funerary artefacts found during excavations of ancient necropolises, architectural fragments, sculpture, jewellery, coins, ceramics, Roman mosaics, weapons and much more. Among the most famous and valuable exhibits of the museum are the famous bronze vessel from the 3rd century BC with dancing figures of menads and satyrs known as the "Derweni Crater", the statue of Harpocrates (2nd century BC), a bronze helmet and gold mask from the cemetery in Sindos (6th century BC), a collection of gold medals (250-225 BC) and the head of Serapis (2nd century BC). For convenience and better assimilation of information, the exhibition space is divided into thematic blocks - "Prehistoric Macedonia", "The Emergence of Cities", "Macedonia 7th century BC. - Late Antiquity", "The Gold of Macedonia", etc.
In addition to the permanent exhibitions, the Archaeological Museum regularly hosts specialised temporary exhibitions, as well as informative lectures and seminars, and various cultural events.
