Antikmuseet

About the museum

The foundation was laid in 1949 by P. J. Riis, the first professor of Classical Archaeology at Aarhus University: he built up a study collection that began with around 500 antiquities on loan from the Nationalmuseet and plaster casts from the old Aarhus museum. It was initially housed in a few basement rooms beneath the university's Aula.

In the 1960s, Professor Kristian Jeppesen campaigned to have the foundations of the then-converted Solgården prepared for the collection; the exhibitions moved there in 1971. Further loans, donations, and purchases made the holdings grow steadily. In 1986 the building was given the name Antikmuseet, became a department in its own right, and for the first time opened regularly twice a week. A comprehensive renovation was completed in 2004.

Today the museum belongs to the Institut for Kultur og Samfund of Aarhus Universitet and shows, across around 1,500 m², more than 500 plaster casts and about 4,000 original objects from the Mediterranean region, from the Bronze Age to the Roman imperial period, plus a coin collection. The upper floor is devoted to Greek sculpture from the Archaic to the Classical period; the lower floor to Egypt and the Near East, the Hellenistic period, the Etruscans, the Danish excavations at Halicarnassus, and Roman imperial portraits. The building also serves as a teaching and research collection and is visited by schools, drawing classes, and families.

Highlights

• Plaster casts of famous ancient sculptures, including the Laocoön Group and the Dying Gaul
• Mummy of Ta-bast (around 1000 BC) with hieroglyphic painting
• Sculptures from the Athenian Acropolis as casts
• Finds from the Danish excavations at Halicarnassus
• Greek and Roman coins
• Free admission

Permanent exhibitions

• Den faste udstilling – On two floors: Greek sculpture from the Archaic to the Classical period together with coins upstairs; Egypt, the Near East, the Hellenistic period, the Etruscans, Halicarnassus, and Roman portraits downstairs.

Founded

1949

Operated by

Aarhus Universitet (Institut for Kultur og Samfund)

Director

Vinnie Nørskov

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free for all visitors.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

The museum describes itself as well suited to school and family visits; children, like all visitors, have free admission.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located in Universitetsparken of Aarhus Universitet, near Steno Museet and Naturhistorisk Museum.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit