3. The Numismatic Museum
is one of the oldest public museums
and probably
the most important one in Greece.
It also ranks among
the five greatest museums
of its kind
in the world.
4. It was established in 1834
and today houses one of the greatest collections of
coins, ancient and modern, in the world.
5. The museum itself is housed in the mansion
of the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann,
formally known as Iliou Melathron
6. At the time of its completion,
it was considered to be the most magnificent
private residence of Athens
7. The love for Antiquity, prevalent at the time in Europe
and the recent foundation of the Modern Greek state
had created the conditions of protecting
the national cultural heritage.
Hence, from the beginning, the history of the
Museum
was directly related with that of the Modern Greek
state,
the social circumstances
and the cultural directives of each age.
8.
9.
10. The Numismatic Museum owns 500.000 acquisitions –
mostly coins as well as medals, lead bullae, gems - dated
from the 14th century BC until today.
11.
12. In 1867,
the Numismatic Museum
of Athens
was officially defined by law as an
annex
to the National Library
