The department of Greek art, where you can see the splendid bust of Diocletian on the photo to the left, has reasonable dimensions – the other parts are immodestly big, and I wondered which museum had the largest archaeological collection: Istanbul or the Paris Louvre. I had not expected a museum of these dimensions, and was exhausted after visiting it three times in three days. And every object is splendid. It is, to paraphrase Truman Capote, like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.
Most departments of the museum close at five o’ clock, but the main building closes at seven. In the garden, between the ancient columns, tombstones, and sarcophagi, you can buy coffee, tea, and soft drinks. You will probably need them to survive this big, beautiful museum.
This museum was visited in 2008, 2012.
Constantinople, Forum of Theodosius, Tombstone of an aquilifer of II Adiutrix
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Sarcophagus from the Persian age
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Troy VIII, Treaty between Troy and six other towns
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Snake head from the Greek victory monument in Delphi, later brought to Constantinople
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Assos, Temple of Athena, Façade
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Nicomedia, Sea god
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Samos, Head of a kouros
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Perinthus, Tombstone of Paulus of III Italica
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Pergamene copy of the Alcamenes herm
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Aššur, Parthian stele of a worshipper
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Yemenite relief of a woman and a man, seated on dromedaries, meeting at a well
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Saba'a, Relief of Adad-Nirari III
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 2, Mixed Egyptian-Greek-style sarcophagus
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Sidon, Bustan esh-Sheikh, Egyptianizing head
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Perinthus, Portrait of a man
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 4, Lycian sarcophagus, Sphinxes
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Aphrodisias, Valentinian II
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 3, Sidon, Alexander Sarcophagus
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Hippodrome, Porphyrius Monument of the Blues
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Didyma, Head of Zeus
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 1, Sarcophagus of the mourning women
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Troy VIIb, Pottery
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Troy VI, "Minaean" pottery
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Nineveh, Stele of Sennacherib
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Sidon, Funerary stele of Dioscurides
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Aššur, Statue of Šalmaneser III
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Halicarnassus, Mausoleum, Lion
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Kanesh, Letter (in an envelope) concerning silver debt
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Priene, Aphrodite
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Aššur, Syllabilary with old and new cuneiform signs
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Pergamon, Portrait of Augustus
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Dascylium, Frieze of women on horseback
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 3, Alexander sarcophagus (18) (Abdalonymus)
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 3, Alexander sarcophagus (11) (Perdiccas?)
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Seleucia in Pieria, Sarcophagus with the Dioscuri
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Ivriz, Relief of king Warpalas and the god Tarhunza
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Dascylium, Short funerary stele
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 6, Sarcophagus of the satrap
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Troy VIII, Head of Zeus
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Dascylium, Long funerary stele
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Nimrud, Northwest Palace of Aššurnasirpal II, Genie
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Assos, Temple of Athena, Façade
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Alexander the Great
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Hattusa, Deeds of Šuppililiuma
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Abydus, Anastasius' passage law
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Hippodrome, Kathisma, capital
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Hattusa, Letter of king Hattusilis III to king Kadashman-Enlil II of Babylonia
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Amida, Relief of Naram-Sin
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Byblos, Statue of Poseidon
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Nicaea, Funerary relief of Menas
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Perinthus, Relief of Micallus
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Jerusalem, Siloam Inscription
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Nicomedia, Sarcophagus
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Pergamon, Relief of a hero
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Troy IX, Figurine of Cybele
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Abydus, Roman tombstone
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Roman statue of the Egyptian god Bes from Amathus
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Adana, Portrait of Hadrian
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Miletus, Statue of Apollo
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Smyrna, Relief with a tribute to Euripides
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Alexandria near Issus, Roman tombstone
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 2, Sarcophagus of Tabnit
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Cyzicus, Column drum
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Aššur, Old Palace, Head of a lamassu
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Dascylium, Relief of two Magians sacrificing a sheep and a bull
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Nicaea, Statue of Cybele (Roman copy of a Hellenistic original)
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Hattusa, Hittite laws about personal damage
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Ephesus, Archaic temple of Artemis, Ivory lion
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Dascylium, Long funerary stele, Inscription
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Ephesus, Archaic temple of Artemis, Ivory figurine of the goddess
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 3, Alexander sarcophagus (02) Alexander
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Kallipolis, Relief of Cybele
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Constantinople, Tombstone of Menios
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Cyzicus, Charioteer
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Constantinople, Sea Wall, Royal Gate, Marble decoration
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Cyzicus, Kouros
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Perinthus, Portrait of Commodus
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Aelia Eudocia II
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Baalbek, Temple of Jupiter, Lion
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Constantinople, Forum of Theodosius, Relief with soldiers
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Pergamon, Portrait of Alexander the Great
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Sidon, Funerary stele of Salmamodes
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 7, Greek-style sarcophagus
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Pergamon, Portrait of Agrippina Maior
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Bolu, Hidirsihlar tumulus, Galatian torques
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Dascylium, Short funerary stele: chariot: dinner scene
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Palmyra, Tombstone of a man
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Kanesh, Account of a caravan
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Dascylium, Relief of a Magian venerating the fire
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 4, Lycian sarcophagus
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 3, Alexander sarcophagus (09) Hephaestion
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Mada'in Saleh, Sundial
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Smyrna, Sappho (Roman copy of a Hellenistic portrait)
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Chalcedon, Tombstone of Severius Acceptus of VIII Augusta
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Troy VIII, Metope
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Ephesus, Archaic temple of Artemis, Gold falcon
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Dascylium, Long funerary stele, detail: chariot
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The Gezer Calendar
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Constantinople, Forum of Theodosius, Tombstone of Aurelius Suro of I Adiutrix
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Constantinople, Forum of Theodosius, Arcadius
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Pella, Tombstone of a Macedonian warrior
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Aššur, Door plaques of Šalmaneser III
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Constantinople, Golden Gate, statue of a tetrarch
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Coin of the Bosphorus
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Yemen, Arab warrior
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Aššur, Altar of Tikulti-Ninurta I
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Tenedos, Head of Hermes (archaizing)
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Bor, Relief of king Warpalas, inscription
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Samos, Heracles as archer
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Hellenistic funeral stele
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Mada'in Saleh, Head of a man
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Dascylium, Short funerary stele: chariot
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Alexandria near Issus, Roman tombstone
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Jerusalem, Temple Inscription
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Nicomedia, Portrait of Diocletian
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Bor, Relief of king Warpalas
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Samos, Head of a kouros
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Constantinople, Forum of Theodosius, Orpheus
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Alexander the Great
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Lysippus' Alexander
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Sidon, Royal Tombs, Chamber 1, Egyptian-style sarcophagus
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Assos, Temple of Athena, Façade
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Hattusa, Kadesh Treaty
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Palmyra, Jupiter Heliopolitanus
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Hippodrome, Porphyrius Monument of the Greens
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