It was June 20, 2009 when the opening ceremony for the New Acropolis Museum took place. Since then, eight million people have laid eyes on the Museum’s exhibits. On the occasion of the anniversary, the Museum will host an exhibition (June 20-September 30) on Samothrace, the Island of Great Gods, famous across the ancient Mediterranean world for its Kaviria Mysteries, an occult ritual worship of the Cabeiri gods, which involved reaching out to the Gods through joint meals, fasting, ecstatic ritual dances and a process of confession.

Little is known about the rituals, since participants were asked to take a vow of silence, but it is known that it served as a means for social mobility and that Philip’s II romance with his wife Olympias started during one of these mystic sessions. 

Greek News Agenda: More on the Acropolis Museum & Samothrace