"For These We Fought..." - National Archaeological Museum

As part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens has curated a special exhibition.

The exhibition’s name “For these we fought: Antiquities and the Greek Revolution”, is a fitting choice, based on a quote attributed to General Yiannis Makrygiannis. A leading historical figure, he advised Greek fighters to fight for their much-deserved freedom and not to sell or give away any of Greece’s antiquities. 

There will be five sections featuring 26 artifacts from the Museum’s collections juxtaposed with 26 modern works by painters from across Europe. The exhibition attempts to showcase the relationship between Greeks and antiquities and their inspiring role during the war and the establishment of the Greek State. As a result of the frequent and barbaric thefts of their antiquities, Greeks rallied round ideologically to support a higher ideal and principle and a strong philhellenic movement was born. 

The exhibition reminds us of how important it is to preserve our cultural heritage and encourages us to continue fighting for the return of everything that was ever stolen.