ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

Founded at the end of the 19th century, the present museum was built between 1933 and 1952 to the plans of the architect P. Karantinos on the site of the ruins of the Venetian monastery of San Francesco, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1856 (remains can be seen in the museum garden). Much later, extension work was undertaken between 2001 and 2014. The current exhibitions cover a chronological period from the Neolithic (7000 BC) to the end of the Roman period (3rd century AD). The collections on display are the results of ancient excavations, but also more recent ones with unpublished pieces from the sites of Knossos, but also from those of Poros, Gouves, Galatas, Malia, Mochlos, Archanes... The exhibition is organized in chronological and thematic order, making the visit very easy, including the following steps:

On the ground floor. Opposite the entrance, the first room contains the collections from the Cretan Neolithic period and the majestic Minoan period. It is here that the most outstanding and emblematic pieces of Minoan art are exhibited: disc of Phaistos, goddesses with snakes of Knossos, gold pendant of Malia's bees, rhyton in the shape of a bull's head of Knossos, sarcophagus of Agia Triada... To the right in the halls, opposite the museum shop and in another room, sculptures show works covering the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods (from the 7th century BC to the 3rd century AD).

Showcase 51. Dating most probably from the 17th century BC, the disc of Phaistos is one of the greatest enigmas of universal history. Discovered in 1908 by the archaeologist Luigi Pernier during excavations of the Minoan palace of Phaistos, the purpose of its creation is still unknown today as it remains indecipherable. It is a unique written source of the Minoan hieroglyph. It is a fired clay disc with a diameter of 0.16 m and is inscribed on both sides. The disc most probably dates from the 17th century BC and has, fortunately, been discovered intact. On both sides there are 45 symbols which, following a spiral order from the outside towards the centre, are repeated in words, separated from each other by vertical lines engraved on the terracotta support with a punch. According to archaeologists, the symbols were engraved on the disc using seals, which makes it possible to consider this disc as the first evidence of a practice of printing on a support.

Showcase 54. Several shelves from shelves A and B are on display which give information on the Minoan's eating habits: figs, snails, fish, vegetables and fruit, possibly honey, beef, sheep and goats, were among the items on their diet.

Showcase 63: The Jumper of the Bull or The Acrobat of Crete. Wonderful sculpture in ivory, of an exceptional aesthetics since the artist managed to represent the bull jumper in complete and free rotation in three dimensions. The figurine was found in Knossos.

Showcase 70. Here one can admire the stone sculpture representing the head of a bull found during the excavations at the Small Palace of Knossos (1600-1400 BC). A masterpiece that testifies to the finesse of Minoan art. The features of the animal are of a rare accuracy. It is an object used to perform a libation, as evidenced by the opening behind the bull's neck that leads to the muzzle.

Showcase 83: The snake goddesses (1600 BC). Earthenware figurines discovered in Knossos and belonging to the most important cult objects of the site. The snakes symbolize the Chthonian forces while the feline on the head of the second goddess (right) symbolizes the domination over the wild life. The unveiled breasts symbolize fertility.

On the first floor. One finds here Minoan frescoes with rich decorations giving a glimpse of the scenes of life, rituals and nature in these times, objects related to religious rituals found in places of worship (especially in caves), as well as a series of objects representative of Greece and the Eastern world giving a glimpse of the evolution from the Minoan period to modern times, and collections from the Greek and Greco-Roman periods (from the 11th century BC to the 4th century AD).

Hall of frescoes. The Rhytophoros. The fresco, a fragment of a processional ritual, depicts a rhytophoros, i.e. a figure holding a rhyto, an object intended to carry libations. It is a peculiar Minoan work in its creation: the face is endowed with its natural proportions (1600-1450 BC).

Frescoes 148 and 149. Two fragments from the Palace of the Lilies of Amnissos (1600-1500 BC). They most probably represent a cloistered garden. Exceptional testimony to the fresco and in cavo (fresco in relief) technique.

La Parisienne (1450-1350/1300 BC). Named so by the archaeologist Evans because of the make-up and the rather pronounced features of the face of the woman represented, this fresco from the palace of Knossos would concern a priestess, according to specialists.

The Prince with the fleur-de-lys or the prince of Knossos (1600-1450 BC). Emblematic representation of a fresco in relief and natural dimensions.