Archaeological Museum of Kavala

Archaeological Museum of Kavala

File:Macedonian Museums-29-Arx Kavalas-490.jpg External view of museum.
Established	1934
Location	Kavala, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece
Type	Archaeological museum

The Archaeological Museum of Kavala (Greek: Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Καβάλας) is a museum in Kavala, East Macedonia, Greece, located towards the western end of the Ethnikis Antistasis road in Kavala.

The museum was established in 1934, and reopened in 1964 in its current premises. Τhe museum as it stands today was built by the architects D. Fatouros and G. Triantaphyllides, professors of the Polytechnic School and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki between 1963 and 1964.

The museum has been referred to as the most important archaeological museum in Eastern Macedonia and one of the most important museums in Greece. The museum contains prehistoric artifacts found all over the Kavala regional unit such as in Neapolis (old Kavala), Amphipolis and places such as Oisyme, Galypsos, Dikili Tas, Tragilos, Mesembria, Nikisiani and Avdira.

Interior

Amphipolis, the site that many of the museum exhibits were found

On the ground floor of the museum are artifacts from ancient Amphipolis including a marble bust of a woman (4th century BC), a marble grave stela of an ephebe (5th century BC), a large gold finger ring and a gold olive wreath that were found in Macedonian Tomb 1 (3rd century BC), a headless marble statue of a woman wearing a peplos (1st century BC), and a portrait bust of the Roman empress Agrippina. In the adjacent room are archaeological finds related to the goddess Parthenos in ancient Neapolis, and many pots and figurines of the Archaic period found further afield.

On the first floor of the museum are items from the wider region of Thrace, from Galypsos, Oisyme, ancient Topeiros and Tragilos, Abdera and Mesembria. Items range from clay figurines and sarcophagi, to coins of Macedonian kings, black-figure wares, a painted cist grave and metal pots. The Cycladic amphora (7th century BC) and a red-figure hydria (4th century BC) are of major note on the first floor.

• Macedonian Museums-29-Arx Kavalas-487.jpg

  Fragment of male statue wearing a short chiton

• Macedonian Museums-29-Arx Kavalas-488.jpg

  Α painted cist grave votive funerary banquet. 4th century BC

• Macedonian Museums-29-Arx Kavalas-489.jpg

  Α painted cist grave

Exterior

The atrium and courtyard of the Kavala Archaeological Museum contain a number of architectural members excavated in various parts of Eastern Macedonia, dating back to the Roman Empire. There are also numerous stelai which are carved with reliefs and inscriptions.

Renovation

Between 1999 and 2000, the museum underwent expansion and renovation. The museum was extended to accommodate for more exhibition rooms to display its permanent collections and to increase the number of temporary exhibitions in the museum.

The museum is open weekdays from 8:00 to 19:00 and weekends from 8:00 to 14:30 in the summer, but during weekdays in the winter, it closes at 17:00. The museum is closed on Mondays.

External links

• Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism
• Museums of Macedonia