Archaeological Museum of Sitia

The Archaeological Museum of Sitia opened in 1984 and houses a significant collection, divided into four sections.

The exhibits cover a period of approximately 4000 years, from the Final Neolithic era to the Late Roman period, and they are displayed in groups, according to the region and the site where they were excavated.

Information is provided in five languages.

The first section of the museum is entitled: Minoan Sitia. The first exhibit to be noted, as one enters the museumand begins one’s visit in this section, is a golden and ivory statuette known as the Palekastro Kouros. It is an outstanding artefact of the Late Minoan period, 0,50 cm high, which was found fragmented at the archaeological site of Roussolakos, near the village of Palekastro.

The second section of the permanent collection is dedicated to the Minoan Palace at Zakros. Large storage jars, numerous decorated pots and other vessels, a storage jar with polychrome decoration, and elegant masterpieces of miniature art can be seen in this section. Display No.16 contains a wonderful group of Linear A tablets from the Minoan Palace at Zakros archive.

The third section, entitled Geometrical and Archaic Sitia, includes finds dating from the 9th century BC until the early 5th century BC. There, one can see little moulded relief plaques and figurines from the deposit of a sanctuary of the Archaic period, which was excavated in the town of Sitia.

The groups of finds of the Hellenistic period and the Roman years which can be seen in the fourth section of the museum collection are also impressive. These artefacts were uncovered at Xerokampos, Ziros, Trypitos, the Late Minoan villa at Makris Gialos, Koufonisi, etc. Among the displays, as well as in the vestibule, stand various Minoan sarcophagi, while in the courtyard one can also see various ancient architectural elements.