The Greek Ministry of Culture and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Messenia have organized the temporary exhibition titled “Princes of Pylos. Bronze Age Treasures of Messenia”, in order to fulfill the need of exhibiting to the public in Greece and abroad some of the approximately 1,400 unique and precious grave goods that accompanied the burial of a 30-35-year-old man, in a pit grave dated back to 1450 BC. The discovery of the grave has been followed with great interest in Greece and internationally due to its intact preservation state and the significance of the findings which came to light.

The grave is globally known as “The Griffin Warrior Tomb”, a name which was given to it because of a very rare ivory plaque found by the feet of the deceased representing a griffin in a rocky landscape. The grave is located near the Chamber Tomb IV, c. 150 metres NE of the Palace of Nestor and was excavated in 2015.

The exhibition “Princes of Pylos” is the capstone of a long-lasting and fruitful collaboration between the Ephorate of Antiquities of Messenia and the archaeologists Professor Jack L. Davis and Dr. Sharon Stocker of the University of Cincinnati, who have been conducting the excavations on the hill of Ano Eglianos, where the Palace of Nestor lies, under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Culture and with the support of the American School of Classical Studies.

The exhibition offers a unique opportunity for the public to see the Bronze Age treasures which reveal facets of the social, political and economic life of the Mycenaean period. The exhibition will be inaugurated by the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni at the Archaeological Museum of Messenia in the historical centre of Kalamata on Friday, February 14, 2025, at 7.00 pm.

It will run through April 27, 2025.