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Archaeological museum of Rethymno

The Archaeological museum of Rethymno is located in the homonymous city, near the entrance to Fortezza Fortress and it is housed in a pentagon-shape building as of 1991. The building was originally erected during the Ottoman rule and its usage was to guard the entrance of the castle. Until 1950s the city’s prison was housed there.

The exhibits of the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno, which are presented in chronological order and according to excavation sites, highlight the cultural history of the prefecture from the Neolithic Age to the Roman period.

The collections of the museum include many finds from caves, settlements and cemeteries of the Minoan years, objects of Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods found during the excavations in the important ancient cities.

Specifically, the visitors to the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno can see findings of Late Neolithic (3500-2900 BC) and Early Minoan (2800-2100 BC) years from the Gerani cave, the caves of Melidoni, of Margeli and of Elenon, finds from the Middle Minoan period (2100-1600 BC) from the settlements of Apodoulou, Monastiraki and the sacred peak in Vrysina and Late Minoan period findings (1600-1100 BC) from cemeteries in the region with the most representative the Late-Minoan Necropolis of Armeni.

There are also findings from the Geometric (1000-700 BC) and Archaic (700-500 BC) periods from Eleftherna and Axos and from Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods from the village of Stavromenos and Ancient Lappa.

The most important exhibits of the museum are the clay urn, depicting hunting scene, found in the Late-Minoan Necropolis of Armeni (1320-1200 BC), the Minoan goddess figurine “with raised hands” from Pangalochori (1320-1200 BC.), the marble statue of Aphrodite (Venus), a Roman copy, a terracotta head of a female figurine from Axos and more.

The purpose of the Archaeological Museum of Rethymno is the promotion of the cultural history of the area by organizing temporary exhibitions, educational programs and various cultural events.

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