The Antikenmuseum Basel is famous the world over for its collection of Greek vases. These earthenware pots give an important insight into Greek culture from the 8th to the 4th century BC.  

The ceramic vessels known as ‘vases’ are among the objects most frequently found by archaeologists. The Greeks used them in every area of their daily lives – from banquets to burial rituals. The images which decorate them – scenes from everyday life and mythology – provide answers to many questions about the history of Greek culture.

Most of the vases in our collection were made in Greece. They were found, however, in central Italy. They were imported products, popular among members of the local elite. The vases therefore provide information about trading relations and cultural contacts in the Mediterranean region at the time. Cultural products such as wine and oil were transported inside them, while the images on the outside conveyed mythological and social ideas.

The exhibition rooms for our vase collection were extensively refurbished between 2022 and late summer 2024. We are now presenting the collection in four thematically arranged exhibitions: “The Greeks and Their World”, “Treasures of the Collection and Their Stories”, “World of the Etruscans” and “How a Masterpiece Is Created”. In addition, be sure to catch our new audio tour on the topic of “Greek Myths”. 

Some 600 artefacts from five millennia present the history of art and culture of Pharaonic Egypt from prehistory to the Graeco-Roman period (4000 BC to AD 400) 

The Egyptian collection of the Antikenmuseum encompasses the holdings of Canton Basel-Stadt (from c. 1840), which were accumulated over time, as well as important loans from public and private collections from all over Switzerland. Comprising sculptures, coffins, mummies, papyruses and a rich selection of artisanal objects such as precious stone and ceramic vessels, beauty care utensils and amulets, it is one of the most diverse collections in Switzerland.

Six themes taking up 550 m² give a clearly laid out, informative and captivating insight into the fascinating advanced civilisation on the River Nile. A children’s trail invites our younger visitors to discover the museum in a fun way and an audio guide facilitates a tour of the exhibits without having to read much. The exhibition is further enhanced by audio-visual presentation techniques, particularly in the areas entitled “Discovery and Exploration” and “Death and the Afterlife”.
 

The Oriental department comprises arount 220 artworks. These demonstrate how greatly the development of Cyprus and Greece was influenced by the ancient cultures of the Near East. 

On display are works from the Mesopotamian, Iranian, Cypriot and early Greek cultures. They include, for example, animal-shaped vessels, richly decorated weapons and images of deities – complemented by landscape photographs. The exhibition focuses on the cultural and economic exchanges between east and west from the early 3rd to the 1st millenium BC. There are three main themes: mankind and nature, religion and cult, and the Orient and Greece. Founded in 2002, the department is based on two private collections; that of Peter und Elisabeth Suter-Dürsteler and that of Hans und Trudy Bosshard-Wirz. They have been supplemented in recent years by loans from Elsa and Dr. Pierre Henri Bloch-Diener and by the legacy of Rudolf Schindler.

Together with the vases, the Greek and Roman sculptures form the "classical" heart of the Antikenmuseum's collection. They tell us about the aesthetics and ideals of the ancient world. 

The dominant theme of Greek and Roman sculpture is the human being. Writers, philosophers and rulers are portrayed. Often, though, the sculptures are not representations of historical people but of figures from mythology. The idealised images obey strict norms of proportion and beauty. They were intended for eternity and therefore made from costly materials such as marble or bronze.

The Greek sculptures are displayed in the top-lit Oberlichtsaal. Here there are original sculptures from the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods, as well as Roman marble copies of famous Greek works. The purely Roman sculptures – portraits, sarcophagi and funerary reliefs – are to be found in the basement.  

Basel’s Skulpturhalle is a collection of plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculptures. It includes over 2200 copies of statues from museums all over the world.

One of the largest and most important collections of its kind, the Skulpturhalle Basel is world famous for its complete assemblage of the architectural sculpture of the Athens Parthenon. Originally a teaching collection for the university, it was placed under the auspices of the Antikenmuseum when the museum was founded in 1961.  
 
The Skulpturhalle Basel is at 17 Mittlere Strasse, near the Basel University Library. Map and directions