Description of the attraction
The Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaus is located north of Lake Voulismeni at 74 Paleologa Street, a short walk from the city center. The museum was founded in 1970 and houses a rich collection of archaeological finds from Lasithi Prefecture.
The exposition of the museum is located in eight exhibition halls and covers a huge historical period from the Neolithic to the Roman era. The museum collection includes ceramics, stone products, sculptures, figurines, household utensils, various funerary artifacts, gold jewelry, bronze and ivory items, exhibits from a rare children's burial place and much more.
The most impressive exhibit in the museum is the skull of a young man found in a Roman cemetery in the Potamos area near the city. The skull dates from the 1st century AD. and is crowned with a golden diadem in the form of olive leaves. In the mouth of the skull was a silver coin from the city of Polyrinia (western Crete), the issue of which was timed to coincide with the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius. The coin, according to ancient tradition, was a payment to the transporter of souls Charon to the underworld of Hades through the river Styx.
Of particular interest are the artifacts found during the excavations of the Minoan cemetery from Agia Fotius. This prehistoric cemetery, where 260 Minoan tombs were found, is the site of the largest archaeological site in Crete. The 1,600 different vessels found here were made without the use of a potter's wheel and are similar in style to Cycladic art.
The museum also displays finds from the Minoan settlement of Myrtos, among which the most significant is the "Goddess Myrtos" - a vessel in the form of a female figure. The museum also displays artifacts from a Minoan palace in Malia, including a magnificent stone vessel shaped like a Triton shell.
The Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaus is one of the most important museums in Crete.
