Criminology Museum

The Museum

The Criminology Museum belongs to and functions in the grounds of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. It is a unique museum of its kind in Greece, which illustrates history of crime by presenting some of the most notorious crimes that took place during 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The Museum was founded in 1932 by Professor Ioannis Georgiadis (1874-1960), although the gathering of various criminalistic evidence had begun some years ago. The Museum is a non-profit institution that provides a valuable source of teaching reference for medical, law and police academy students, while also acting as a dynamic study and teaching space. The Museum’s collections present a rich source of data for researchers in forensic medicine and toxicology, and other forensic sciences, and also areas of sociology that focuses on the study of crimes and their causes, effects, and social impact.

Collections

The Museum houses 1500 exhibited objects of significant historic value related to the history and practice of forensic sciences in Greece. The Museum’s exhibited objects are mainly arranged in three sub-collections.

Forensic medicine collections

Human remains collection

The Museum houses a collection of mummified and skeletal human remains and also a number of formalin-preserved specimens obtained from medico-legal and pathological autopsy or surgery. Also included are the embalmed severed heads of famous Greek outlaws of the early 20^th century. In addition, there is a collection of 19^th century dry-prepared specimens of tattooed human skin acquired from autopsies.

Collection of nooses and ligatures

Includes self-made nooses used in suicidal hangings and constricting bands removed at autopsy from victims of ligature strangulation (homicides).

Collection of wax models

Includes colored wax models crafted over 50 years ago presenting with every detail wounds and injuries concerning all kinds of violent death, i.e. homicide, suicide and accident cases. These models were used for educational purposes.

Collection of medico-legal documents

Includes police documents, pictures of criminals and crimes, crime scene sketches, photographs taken at autopsy of violent deaths, and anthropometry cards based on the Bertillon’s system of criminal identification.

Toxicology collections

Collection of drugs of abuse

This particular collection includes a number of different drugs of abuse, normally street samples used by drug abusers and paraphernalia. Also there is a collection of substances derived from poisoning cases and reagents used in the Department’s old toxicology lab.

Collection of mushroom models

Includes a collection of poisonous and edible mushroom plastic models used for educational purposes.

Criminological collections

Reconstructed guillotine

The Museum possesses the only guillotine ever used in Greece for carrying out judicial executions. Guillotine is an apparatus designed for carrying out executions by beheading best known for its use in France during the French Revolution (1789-1799), when it became “a part of popular culture”.

Collection of sharp-edged or pointed weapons

Includes a number of knives and swords dated back from early 18^th century up to the period of 1900-1930. Also there is a collection of bayonets, cavalry sabers, and fencing swords belonged to Professor I. Georgiadis who was a Balkan Games (1896) winner in fencing.

Collection of firearms and ammunition

There is a collection of old muzzle-loading firearms dated to the late 18^th or early 19^th century and modern breech-loading firearms. Also on display is a reference collection of rifle, shotgun and handgun unspent cartridges, and a collection of discharged bullets recovered at autopsy of gunshot victims by Professor I. Georgiadis.

Collection of military equipment

Includes helmets, explosives, grenades, mortar ammunition, and other military artifacts, used in military conflicts, mainly during the Second World War.

Witchcraft object collection

The collection contains different kinds of amulets or talismans such as pentacles and skeleton keys used in magical evocation.

Counterfeit banknotes collection

Includes banknotes of the early 20^th century from Greece and other European countries.

Administration

Director

M. Stefanidou-Loutsidou, Professor of Toxicology

Advisory Committee

C. Spiliopoulou, Professor of Forensic Medicine - Head of Department

S. Athanaselis, Professor of Toxicology

K. Moraitis, Assistant Professor of Forensic Anthropology

Visiting

Due to the nature of its exhibits, the Criminology Museum is open to the public only by appointment.

Contact

Postal address: Criminology Museum, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, 75 M. Asias Str., 11527 Athens, Greece. 

E-mail: criminology-museum[at]med.uoa[dot]gr

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