Naxos Archaeological Museum

Location: Town
Don't miss: Museums guide (free admission dates and other useful info)

The Archaeological Museum of Naxos is situated at the central square at the top of the Kastro castle.
It is housed inside a beautiful 17th Century Venetian building, a perfect example of architecture during that period.
It has five floors and was built to be a school for Jesuits, eventually housing the School of Commerce in the late 19th Century and later becoming the Archaeological Museum in 1973. Since then, it has been declared a historical monument.

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Findings of excavations that have taken place over the years across Naxos are exhibited at the Archaeological Museum. It houses various types of items, from objects of everyday use to works of art dating from the Late Neolithic period to early Christian times.

The Cycladic Civilization was at its peak of glory in the third millennium BC, and Naxos constituted a center of Cycladic art back then. Around that time, Cycladic settlements were situated along the island's east coast and outside Naxos Town at Grotta.

The museum houses an impressive collection of marble Cycladic statues, gold jewelry, vessels, marble and clay pots, wooden tools, and funeral gifts found at the sites of these places. Many vessels are hand-made, consisting of coarse grain clay, sometimes decorated with a herringbone design.

The white marble Cycladic statues displayed range from earlier simple violin shapes to the more detailed female forms with tilted flat heads, folded arms, and legs slightly bent at the knees. The male forms are simpler and appear to be seated. Many scholars believe that the female statues usually represented grave and fertility goddesses while the males were servant figures.

The museum also has an outstanding collection of Mycenaean pottery dating back to the second millennium BC. Pottery, terra-cotta figurines, and statues from the Bronze Age, Archaic period, Classical era, Roman Era, and Hellenistic period are also parts of the museum. Additional exhibits of the museum include:

• The Clay rhyton, a ritual vase from the early Cycladic period.
• A marble vase from the early Cycladic period.
• Vases from the early Cycladic period found on the island of Epano (Upper) Koufonisi.
• Early Cycladic pyxis made of marble and schist from the cemetery at Aplomata.
• Marble from the early Cycladic era found at the cemetery at Keros.
• A Mycenaean jar found at the Aplomata cemetery decorated with an octopus design.
• A Mycenaean jug from the Kamini cemetery decorated with a scene of circular dance.
• Four golden plaques retrieved from a child burial at the Kamini cemetery depicting the dead child.
• Golden jewelry from tombs at Tsikalario and Chora dated to the Geometric Period.
• The torso of a Naxian kouros statue dated to the second half of the 6th Century BC.
• Detail of a mosaic floor from Aplomata depicting a Nereid on a bull from the Roman period. Naxos has always been the center of art and architecture in Greece.

The Archaeological Museum has helped incredibly and beautifully to preserve this culture and history for the whole world to see for ages to come.

How to get there

The Archaeological Museum is located in Chora.

Private transfers: We recommend using an online pre-booked transfer service, which provides transfer by taxi, minibus, or private VIP car and arranging a pickup directly from the port, airport, or your hotel. Alternatively, there’s the option of arranging a pickup by a local driver directly at the following numbers: 0030 22850 25835, 0030 22850 24829, or booking your taxi online.

Car rental: There's the option of renting a car and picking it up directly from the airport, port, or your hotel. Using a rental car allows visitors to discover the Archaeological Museum and many other places of interest at their own pace.

Public transport: The central bus station of the island is located at the Port of Naxos. There are bus connections between Chora and most areas of the island. Consider that time schedules might change according to the season. Check the official timetables here.