The
Museum of Aghios Nikolaos
was founded in 1970 in order to house the numerous new archaeological finds from eastern Crete, which until then, were housed in the
Museum of Herakleion.
Its collections include:
• Finds from the Early Minoan (3000-2000 B.C.) cemetery at
Aghia Photia of Seteia
• Finds from the Early Minoan II settlement at
Fournou Koryfi of
Myrtos
• Finds from the Early Minoan II-III (2600-2200 B.C.) cemetery on the islet of
Mochlos
• Finds from Middle Minoan (2000-1550 B.C.) peak sanctuaries: Petsophas, Modi, Traostalos, Kalamaki, Prinias, Etiani, Kephala
• Finds from the Late Minoan III (1400-1200 B.C.) tombs of
Milatos and
Kritsa
• Finds from the Geometric deposit at Anavlochos Vrachasiou.
• Finds from the Daidalic deposit at
Seteia (beginning of 7th century B.C.)
• Finds from the Archaic deposit at
Olous (end of 7th-6th centuries B.C.)
• Finds from
Lato pros Kamara (modern Aghios Nikoalos) dated to Greek and Roman times
The most important exhibits are:
The burial finds from the cemetery of Aghia Photia. Located by the sea, the cemetery
included at least 300 graves, all dated to the Early Minoan II and III periods (2300 B.C.). The burials were accompanied by numerous offerings to the dead,
including more than 1500 vases of various types - chalices, pyxis, kernoi, jugs, incense burners - as well as plenty of obsidian tools and bronze daggers.
Strong Cycladic influence was evident in the cemetery.
Finds from peak sanctuaries of the Middle Minoan I period (2000 B.C.). They are votive offerings, mostly human figurines, animal figurines or clay imitations
of human parts. They are very important as they offer information on the dressing and hairstyling habits of the period, as well as the gestures of worship.
Gold diadem from the Early Minoan II-III (2600-2200 B.C.) cemetery on the islet of
Mochlos.
It is decorated with schematic representations of Cretan wild goats in repousse dotted technique. The lower part is irregularly cut and on the upper are attached three
V-shaped antennae.
The "Goddess of Myrtos". Libation vase in the shape of a woman, found
in the Early Minoan II (2600-2300 B.C.) settlement on the hill of
Fournou Koryfi
at
Myrtos. It has a bell-shaped body, without legs, and a very small head with rough rendering of facial details,
supported on a very tall neck. The woman holds a beak-mouthed jug in the crook of her arm. The details of the garment and the pubic triangle are painted.
Figurine of a worshiper or a priestess from the cemetery of
Myrsine at Seteia. The lower part of the body is formed as a low cylinder, with a cross painted under the base.
On the upper part of the body, the schematic hands are brought before the breasts in a worshipping gesture. The hair in the back is formed as a horizontal cylinder, while
other details of the face and the garment were painted. Dated to the Post-palatial period (after 1500 BC.).
Gold pin. It had been exported illegally from Crete and was bought in Brussels by the archaeologist J.-P. Olivier, who donated it to the museum in 1981. The back
face bears an exceptionally large inscription of 18 tiny Linear A signs, while the front is decorated with a bramble motif.
Small stone pyxis from the north cemetery at
Gournia. The decorative groves are restricted to minimum
so as not to hide the wonderful physical patterning of the stone, which the artist has exploited in a very skillful manner. The lid has a small handle at the centre. This kind of
vase was used for keeping cosmetics or as a jewelery box.
Head of a clay statue, found in an Archaic (7th-6th centuries BC.) deposit at
Seteia. It is smaller than natural size and hollow inside. The pupils of the large eyes are marked with a compass.
The expression, with the slight smile, is typical of the Archaic period. The statue had painted decoration, but only faint traces of the paint are preserved, as in the eyebrows,
which were blue.
Skull of a young athlete with a gold wreath, found in the Roman cemetery of
the city of
Lato pros Kamara (modern Aghios Nikolaos), dated to the 1st century AD. The wreath, fastened on
the skull, is made of schematic olive-tree leaves. A silver coin - tetradrachm of the city of
Polyrrhenia from
the time of emperor Tiberius had been placed in the mouth of the deceased as the fare for Charon.
Triton-shell rhyton (ritual vessel) found in the palace of
Malia. It is made of green stone and bears a relief representation of two lion-headed demons who stand on
a stepped structure, possibly an altar, and are in the process of a libation. The vessel is dated to the Late Minoan I A period (1550-1500 B.C.).
