Antikensammlung Erlangen

About the museum

The Antikensammlung of the University of Erlangen began as a teaching collection: from the 1850s plaster casts of ancient sculptures were purchased, and in December 1857 the “Archaeological Museum”, initially with 15 casts, was handed over to the university. The collection was meant to make the art of antiquity vivid for students of all subjects and was the starting point for the field of Classical Archaeology at Erlangen, which only received its own chair decades later.

Initially housed in Erlangen Palace, the collection moved to the Kollegienhaus in 1889. With Heinrich Bulle, ancient originals were added for the first time at the beginning of the 20th century, mainly painted Greek pottery and small-scale art. Pieces such as the “Erlangen Tripod” or an Attic cup after which a vase painter was named still bear the name of the city today. In 1937 the extensive photo archive of the archaeologist Paul Arndt came into the collection.

Since 1957 the Antikensammlung has been located in the basement of the institute building in Kochstraße. It is considered the third-largest collection of classical antiquity in Bavaria and shows, besides around 150 larger casts – including a gallery of Roman emperors and Greek philosopher portraits – about 700 originals from Troy to the Roman imperial period, as well as gems and coins. In a model workshop, students build replicas of ancient sites such as the Forum Romanum.

Highlights

• Attic vases of the 6th and 5th centuries BC
• Bronze “Erlangen Tripod”
• Portrait gallery of Roman emperors and Greek philosophers in plaster
• Casts such as the Apollo Belvedere and the Praying Boy
• Models of the Forum Romanum

Permanent exhibitions

• Gipsabguss-Sammlung – Around 150 casts of Greek and Roman sculptures, including a portrait gallery of emperors and scholars.
• Antike Originale – About 700 objects from the Mycenaean period to Rome, with a focus on painted Attic pottery, complemented by gems and coins.

Founded

1857

Operated by

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institut für Klassische Archäologie

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

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