A curtain of fluted columns gives way to the Pantheon-inspired rotunda of the grand neoclassical Old Museum, which harbours a prized antiquities collection. In the downstairs galleries, sculptures, vases, tomb reliefs and jewellery shed light on various facets of life in ancient Greece, while upstairs the focus is on the Etruscans and Romans. Top draws include the Praying Boy bronze sculpture, Roman silver vessels, an 'erotic cabinet' (over 18s only!) and portraits of Caesar and Cleopatra.
Sprinkled throughout the galleries are highlights from the collections of the Museum of Ethnology and the Museum of Asian Art that will eventually move into the Humboldt Forum under construction across the street.
The Altes Museum building itself was the first repository to open on Museumsinsel in 1830 and is considered the most mature work by architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
