Last year, (2023) the Archaeological Museum of Kythnos was inaugurated, a dream of the island's inhabitants that came true. The museum is housed in the old, Single Classroom Primary School of Chora, the capital of the island.
The archaeological material of the exhibition comes from the excavations so far in various significant locations of the island, such as the Maroulas settlement. Excavations have been carried out since the '90s by Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian.
Specifically, the finds come from the systematic surface survey and the excavations in the ancient city of Vryokastro, from collections and interventions of a preservative nature in the countryside, such as a farmhouse in Maistralia and the shrine of Agia Marina. Also, the exhibits come from collections of various scattered finds, mainly architectural members from all periods and from various locations of the island and from the excavation in the Mesolithic installation of Maroulas. All these treasures, testify to the millennial journey of Cycladic culture.
The exhibits of the Museum of Kythnos, prove a very high level of civilisation and the pivotal relationship of the island, with the wider history of the archipelago.
What can you see in the museum?
It is noteworthy to say that a treasure was found in a temple of Archaic times, with numerous golden offerings and precious metals, objects that date from the 7th to the early 5th century BC.
Some finds are chronologically determined in the Early Iron Age and the Late Bronze Age. They had most likely been transferred to the island during the Hellenistic Period.
When the temple was destroyed and definitively collapsed, the contents were kept and preserved.
Inside the Museum and with the observation of the exhibits, the inhabitants of Kythnos, walk in the footsteps of their ancestors and discover that they are richer than they imagined.
On the other hand, visitors realize the size of the history that this hidden secret of the Aegean keeps and discover another reason to be happy that they visited the island.
Where is the Archaeological Museum of Kythnos located
The Museum is housed in the old Single Classroom Primary School of Chora.
Operating period: April to October
Photo Credits: Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades
