Heraklion Archaeological Museum

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is a museum located in Heraklion on Crete. It is one of the largest museums in Greece and is considered the best place in the world to see Minoan art. This is because it has the most important and complete collection of items from the Minoan civilization of Crete.

The museum holds many important objects that were found at the Minoan palace at Knossos and other Minoan places on Crete. These items help us learn about the lives, art, and culture of people who lived on the island many years ago.

History

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum started in 1883 as a small collection of old items. This was around the time people were just beginning to learn about the Minoan civilization. The museum was built in a special building between 1904 and 1912. After some strong earthquakes, the museum needed to be made stronger. A new strong building was finished in 1935 and survived even during World War II.

Today, the Heraklion Archaeological Museum is one of the biggest and most important museums in Greece. It has many valuable items from different times in Cretan history, especially beautiful examples of Minoan art. The museum is located in the center of town and was built between 1937 and 1940. It has bright spaces for showing items, labs for studying them, a library, offices, and even a shop and a café. Most of the museum was closed for updates from 2006 and opened again in May 2013.

Collections

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum has many rooms filled with ancient treasures. Each room shows items from different times long ago.

Room I has things from very early times, like small clay sculptures and special stone jars. Room II shows beautiful painted pots and tiny statues from old holy places. Room III has a mysterious round disc with symbols, and more painted pots.

Room IV includes a special bull's head cup, snake statues, and old writing on cups. Room V has trade items from ancient Egypt and early writing examples. Room VI displays pretty gold jewellery and clay statues from old graves.

Room VII features shining bronze tools, a vase showing people working, and precious stone cups. Room VIII has elegant cups made of rock crystal and pots with flower designs. Room IX shows small statues from mountain holy spots and special seal stones.

Room X has clay statues and a sculpture of dancers with a music player. Room XI includes early iron tools and small clay statues from a new group of people. Room XII has pots with griffin pictures and items from a special place.

Room XIII shows clay boxes used long ago for holding important things. Room XIV has colorful wall paintings from old palaces. Rooms XV and XVI have more wall paintings, including one called "La Parisienne". Room XX displays sculptures from later Greek and Roman times.

Visitor information

The museum is open from April to September, with hours from 12pm to 8pm on Mondays and 8am to 7pm from Tuesday to Sunday. From October to March, it is open daily from 8am to 5pm.

Students from the European Union and senior citizens aged 65 and older can get a lower price for entry. The building has air conditioning to keep visitors comfortable. Some items in the collection cannot be photographed, and signs will tell you which ones.

Notable artifacts

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum has many important items from ancient times. Some of the most famous ones are the Snake Goddess, the Phaistos Disc, the Arkalochori Axe, the Malia Pendant, and the Hymn to Dictaean Zeus stele. These pieces help us learn about the people who lived on the island of Crete a long time ago.

Frescos

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum has many beautiful wall paintings called frescos. These paintings show scenes from life a long time ago, like people dancing, animals, and special ceremonies. Some famous frescos include a dancing woman, acrobats leaping over a bull, and images of lilies and trees.

The Epiphany Cycle

This part of the museum’s collection shows more special images and scenes. These include a ring with pictures, a boat with a woman, and different figures and animals from ancient stories. The paintings come from many places on Crete, showing how people lived and celebrated many years ago.