Museum of Prehistoric Thera
One of the most important museums of Greece is the spectacular Museum of Prehistoric Thera that lies in the capital of Santorini, Fira. It is housed in a state-of-the-art, two-story building whose erection started in the beginning of the 1970s and it was finally offered to the public in 2000. The proponent of this museum was the standout Greek archeologist, Professor Spyridon Marinatos, who led the excavation works in the archaeological site of Akrotiri and prompted the creation of a museum in order to house the valuable finds from this major urban center that came to light, where a prominent regional civilization of the prehistoric world used to thrive during the Minoan Bronze Age.
Visitors to the museum, which is open daily (except Tuesdays in winter), can admire temporary exhibitions on the ground floor and four permanent exhibitions on the first floor. The first unit of them refers to the history of research at Thera, the second to the geology of the island, the third to the island’s history from the Late Neolithic to the Late Cycladic I Period and the last one to the heyday of the city at Akrotiri (mature Late Cycladic I Period, 17th century BC).
The Prehistoric Thera Museum can be considered an extension of the archaeological site of Akrotiri, where visitors can walk through the amazing, well-preserved prehistoric city, since it hosts many artifacts from there and, most importantly, the frescoes, the impressive mural paintings. These were found in both public and private edifices of Akrotiri and constitute one of the most incredible exhibits of the museum. They are colorful representations of nature and everyday life and give a valuable insight into the way of life back then and the environment. Among the items, there are also tools, utensils, marble figurines, pottery and some jewelry, since the inhabitants must have taken their precious objects with them when they left the island due to the looming volcanic eruption.
The Archaeological Museum of Thera
An extraordinary and very interesting museum lies in the center of Fira, the capital of Santorini, very close to the cable car. The Archaeological Museum of Thera is a very educational small gem that offers an insight into the island’s past and proves how sophisticated the civilizations that preceded us were. It was built in 1960 by the Ministry of Public Works since the previous one, constructed in 1902, had collapsed during the destructive earthquake of 1956.
The Archaeological Museum is open to the public daily 8:00-15:00, except Mondays, and is a great place for those who are interested in other cultures and wish to become acquainted with the history of Santorini. There are three main collections on display ‒ sculpture from the Archaic to the Roman Period, inscriptions dating from the Archaic to the Roman Period as well as vases and clay figurines from the Geometric to the Hellenistic Periods.
A significant part of the exhibits comes from the excavations carried out on Mesa Vouno Mountain where a settlement of the Hellenistic Period was discovered. The majority of them was found in the cemetery of Ancient Thera and includes ceramic objects, pots, amphorae as well as ancient statues, like the representative nude male statue called kouros. The rest of the finds can be admired in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. It is recommended that visitors visit both the archaeological site of Ancient Thera and then the Archaeological Museum in order to gain an understanding on the history and evolution of the island.
Some artifacts on display of great importance is a Theran amphora with geometric decoration, found in the archaic cemetery of Ancient Thera that dates back to the beginning of the 7th century BC, a volcanic boulder that weighs 480 kg, with an inscription concerning the athlete Eumastas who managed to lift it with his bare hands and, finally, a krater with Attic black figures that dates back to the second half of the 6th century BC. Notable are also some Byzantine works of art and an impressive collection of geometric vases from the 5th century BC. There are even some finds, which date back to the prehistoric times, from Akrotiri and Chistiana islet.
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11 ноя 2022
