Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal’s Archaeology and History Complex, has welcomed some 100,000 visitors since the opening of the exhibition “The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great” last December, an indication of the enthusiasm this fascinating and never-before-seen exhibition has generated.

There are less than four weeks left to see the exhibition in Montréal before it continues its North American odyssey, travelling to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, the Field Museum in Chicago and, finally, to the National Geographic Museum in Washington.

An enormously popular success

Making its world premiere at Pointe-à-Callière, the exhibition has met with great interest among visitors, as evidenced by the record-breaking winter attendance figures at the museum. The program of lectures held to coincide with the exhibition has sold out, both at the Museum and at the Université de Montréal. The various books on the exhibition have also enjoyed great sales. The Greeks also drew many visitors during the school break, another indicator of the popularity of this exhibition covering over 5,000 years of Hellenic history and culture, taking visitors on an exceptional and fascinating journey back to the origins of the cradle of Western civilization and its heritage.

A fascinating period and treasures of humanity

Greek Antiquity is a rich and captivating period, a time populated by mythical heroes and historical figures, under the watchful gaze of the gods on Mount Olympus. The exhibition is divided into six zones that introduce us to this great civilization and showcase rare and priceless artefacts. Visitors will meet many famous characters from Greek history, including Homer, Aristotle, Plato, King Philip II of Macedon, and King Leonidas of Sparta. The heritage of ancient Greece, which we can still see all around us today in various aspects of our daily lives-such as politics and philosophy, arts and literature, mathematics, architecture, medicine, and sports-is clearly illustrated in the exhibition. Among the many highlights of the exhibition are a number of artefacts that are true treasures of humanity never before displayed outside Greece.

A hands-on experience

The exhibition offers visitors a range of interactive elements and items they can actually touch. Visitors are notably invited to handle a Cycladic female figurine, a block of marble, a reproduction of a warrior’s helmet, and a sword. There are also over twenty videos shown in the various exhibition zones, most of them produced by the National Geographic Society, the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, and the Canadian Museum of History.

Last chance to see the exhibition
The exhibition, which brings together over 550 valuable artefacts from 21 Greek museums under the aegis of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, runs until April 26. Remember that the Museum is open every day except Monday, and is also open on Wednesday evenings until 9 pm (only for visits of The Greeks exhibition). The Museum will exceptionally be open on Easter Monday, April 6, from 10 am to 5 pm.