Aydın Archaeology Museum

Aydın Archaeology Museum

Herodotus says;

“The Ionians described their cities as the cities established under the most beautiful sky and the most beautiful climate that we know on earth. It cannot be equated with the regions further north or those further south. In fact, neither the east nor the west, some are cold and wet, some are hot and dry.”

In the 1940s, a group of artifacts collected from the center of Aydın and its surroundings and preserved in the Community Center formed the core of the Aydın Museum. Aydın Museum was opened to visitors in its own building on April 23, 1973, and served in this building until 2012. When it was first opened, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts were exhibited in the same building. Aydın Museum has unique collections by collecting the artifacts obtained from scientific excavations and research continuing in its rapidly developed region over time, and the artifacts belonging to the civilizations that lived in Aydın in various ways. Aydın Museum continues its 40-year life in the new Aydın Archeology Museum, which was opened in 2012 and planned for the exhibition of the archaeological cultural heritage revealed as a result of scientific excavations, in the Museum building established with a contemporary museology understanding of an area of 15 thousand 769 square meters on the Aydın- Denizli highway. The building, which includes exhibition halls, warehouses, laboratories, library, children's activity section, conference hall, temporary exhibition areas, and other service units, was built as a Basement + Ground + One floor. In the garden arrangement, shading was made with a suspended-stretching membrane system and open exhibition areas were created. Apart from the green areas consisting of various trees and ground cover plants suitable for the climatic conditions of the Aydın region, a very large parking area has been created for the staff and visitors.

It is planned to exhibit the works found in the Tralleis, Magnesia, Alabanda, Nysa, Archaic Panionion, Kadıkalesi (Anaia) Tepecik mound excavations, which are within the responsibility area of the Aydın Archeology Museum. Artifacts from ancient cities such as Alinda, Amyzon, Piginda, Harpasa, Mastaura, Akharaka, Pygale, Orthosia and artifacts from the rescue excavations made by the museum are also included. In the garden display, stone artifacts from ancient cities located in the museum's responsibility area are exhibited.

At the entrance of the Aydın Museum, Seikilios from Tralleis greets its visitors with the oldest written poem in the world, nearly 2000 years old, which he had written on the tombstone he had made for him when he was alive, and which was later transformed into a melody with 6/8 note measures.

"Be carefree as long as you live

Don't let anything get you down

Life is too short

And time is pregnant with everything."