Three display cases on the visitor’s left present some of the rich finds brought to light by the excavation of the small open-air sanctuary of the Nymphe, the divine protectress of marriage and the rites of weddings.

At this sanctuary on the Acropolis’ South Slope, Athenians dedicated distinctive loutrophoroi vessels – luxurious ceramic vases used to transport water for their ceremonial pre-nuptial purification bath – as well as other objects related to the world of women, men and nuptial rituals. Most loutrophoroi were decorated with wedding scenes, which in ancient Athens had a social rather than religious character.