The Emperor as Philosopher, dating from 175-200 AD, thought to represent Marcus Aurelius, stands in a new gallery at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. (Amy Sancetta/Associated Press)

The Cleveland Museum of Art has opened its doors on its massive new $350-million US space after an eight-year renovation.

Seventeen new galleries showcasing objects going back 5,000 years, including Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and African pieces, were unveiled to the general public on Saturday.

"The objects do look fresh, and new and different with this installation," said Stephen N. Fliegel, the museum's medieval art curator.

The new galleries, expanded from the museum's 1916 building, provide much more space to display the ancient objects.

"It was very compressed," Fliegel said "Here we've been able to put a lot more space between the objects."

In addition, the rooms have been designed to provide context, with one gallery created to resemble a Byzantine chapel, with a cross and sacred vessels.

The galleries are also set in a clockwise pattern so visitors can follow a chronological path, which outlines the progression of art from ancient Greece and Rome to the Christian era.

"The objects are grouped in a very logical way now," said Michael Bennett, curator of Greek and Roman art.

"It allows us to tell the engaging narrative in a very clear and compelling way."

With files from The Associated Press