Epigraphical Museum Museum

The Epigraphical Museum in Athens is a specialist institution that conserves and displays ancient inscriptions carved in stone, including funerary steles, decrees and dedication texts. It documents written records that are central to the study of ancient Greek public and private life.

Exhibits present inscriptions spanning Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and later periods, with labels explaining their context and significance for chronology, law and civic life. The collection is an important resource for epigraphists and historians.

The museum was formed from state collections of inscribed stones and has been developed to provide conservation and public access to epigraphic material recovered across Attica and the Greek world. Its holdings are used for research and teaching as well as public display.

The Epigraphical Museum is located in central Athens, close to the National Archaeological Museum and within the city’s central archaeological district.

• Specialist collection: The museum specialises in inscribed Greek stones and public records; it is the principal national repository for epigraphic material and is used by scholars studying inscriptions from across the Greek world.

The museum is on the north side of the Acropolis hill area, near the Lysikrates Monument and the Acropolis Museum. From the Acropolis or Syntagma stations, it’s a short walk (10-15 minutes). Several city buses stop nearby in the Plaka area.

• Look for the epigraphic casts and copies-the originals are fragile and often moved to stores.
• Combine a museum visit with a walk through the Agora and Roman Agora nearby to see inscriptions in context.
• Bring a magnifier or use the museum's close-focus displays-the letters, spellings and abbreviations reveal political subtleties.