National Archaeological Museum of Athens: Class of 140 AD.

Soon you will be getting ready to smile for your class picture, but back in Roman times they didn't have photography, so there are no photos documenting this time.  Instead sculptors would create busts of important people using materials like marble and limestone, and then put them on display, just like your grandma might hang your school picture in a special room.  Here are a bunch of important busts that can be found at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

Archaeological Museum of Istanbul

One of the beautiful museum buildings.

With over one million objects at the Archaeological Museum, you can spend an entire day wandering the halls without ever getting bored. 
One of the most interesting items, and probably my favourite, is the oldest peace treaty known to man.  It was written over three thousand years ago between Ramses II and Hattusilli III.  It is nice to know that leaders have always wanted peace for their kingdoms.  I also enjoyed seeing this letter written on a clay tablet from a son to his mom.  A lot has sure changed with how we communicate.  I don't use clay tablets anymore instead I use my computer to Skype with my mom, getting to talk to her face to face, while I am travelling around the world.

A letter that is almost 4000 years old.

Also on display are 2000 year old tiles from the Ishtar Gate, the archway that led into the ancient city of Babylon.  The museum has lions, dragons and bulls made from the tiles for visitors to see.  Luckily you don't need to fly all the way to Istanbul to see part of the Ishtar Gate.  The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto has a lion from this gate as part of its collection.

Part of the Ishtar Gate.

Unfortunately when statues and artefacts are found they aren't usually in perfect condition.  A lot of the statues are found headless or armless.  Sometimes the statues were damaged before being buried in the rubble of lost cities.  Other times they have been damaged by the weather, or by being underground for so long.  Here are a few of the statues from the Archaeological Museum, can you add back the missing pieces?  To do this you can print out the pictures and use pencil or marker, or right-click on the images and open them with a paint program to complete them on your computer.  I can't wait to see how your finished statues look.

I have just started to finish my statue.  Should I make it a silly statue?