More than 600 kids from 4th and 5th grade from 10 schools in Sofia participated in the children program of the National Archeological Museum, part of the temporary exhibition “Leaving a Mark on History: Treasures from Greek Museums”. The exhibition was organized under the patronage of the Embassy of the Republic of Greece in Sofia and it was open in the period November 7th, 2013 – February 9th, 2014.
Every day at the museum, students were being acquainted with the history and values of the Olympic Games, reviewing the exhibits and participating in discussions with archaeologists. A special edition tailored for children told the story of the Olympics and their sports disciplines in the form of a conversation between children from Greece and Bulgaria with Heracles, the bravest hero of Greek mythology. Heracles leads the children to the venue of the Olympic Games, introduces them to the logics and the ideology of the games, tells their history and shows them artifacts from the first game, such as seals, vessels, tombstones, coins, and medals.
The program was prepared in partnership with Alpha Bank Bulgaria and was presented in an attractive and memorable way. It aimed to provoke young people to keep their interest in history and archeology. Alpha Bank Bulgaria facilitated the access of the students to the Museum and to artifacts that illustrate the great achievements of the ancient Greeks in the political, trade and education spheres.
The exhibition “Leaving a Mark on History: Treasures from Greek Museums” was organized by the National Archaeological Museum and the Numismatic Museum of Athens with the support of several companies and organizations, such as Alpha Bank as part of the bank’s policy to patronize culture. The exhibition presents 195 unique artifacts from the neolith period till the end of 19th century, including part of the collections of the National Archeological Museum, Numismatic museum and the Museum Kerameikos of Athens, Archeological Museum in Argos and the Archeological Museum in Thebes. The exposition was divided into 7 main sections: “The history of sealing”, “Great is the state that controls the sea”, “Education and Democracy”, “Olympic Idea”, "The Persian Wars", “Rulers and Events”, “From Olympus to Heaven”.
