The Archaeological Museum of Chania ( el, Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Χανίων) is a museum that was located in the former Venetian Monastery of Saint Francis at Chalidon Street,

Chania Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion. The muni ...

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. It was established in 1962. In 2020 this location closed and Chania's new archaeological museum relocated to 15 Skra Str. Chalepa, in 2022.

Building

The exact date that the building of the original museum was constructed is unknown although it was mentioned in writing as standing during the great earthquake of 1595 and being the largest in the city. It served as a Venetian church inhabited by

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friars, and became an important monument of the city. During the period of the Ottoman occupation, the building was used as a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

and named after Yussuf Pasha. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

it served as a storehouse for military equipment, until it was converted into the museum in 1962. In 2020, the Museum closed and reopened in 2022 at a new location on Skra Street in Halepa. File:AMC - Flavische Büste.jpg, Portrait bust of a Roman man File:AMC - Kaiser Hadrian.jpg, Roman emperor Hadrian File:AMC - Mosaik 2.jpg, Roman floor mosaic depicting

Dionysos In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

and

Ariadne Ariadne (; grc-gre, Ἀριάδνη; la, Ariadne) was a Cretan princess in Greek mythology. She was mostly associated with mazes and labyrinths because of her involvement in the myths of the Minotaur and Theseus. She is best known for havi ...

File:AMC - Sarkophag Armeni 3.jpg, Late Minoan sarcophagus, 1400-1200 BC.

Interior

AMC Intern of Museum of Chania (Crete) 1

The museum contains a substantial collection of

Minoan The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age Aegean civilization on the island of Crete and other Aegean Islands, whose earliest beginnings were from 3500BC, with the complex urban civilization beginning around 2000BC, and then declining from 1450B ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

artifacts excavated from around the city of Chania and the surrounding regional unit, including pieces from the ancient cities of

Kydonia Kydonia or Cydonia (; grc, Κυδωνία; lat, Cydonia) was an ancient city-state on the northwest coast of the island of Crete. It is at the site of the modern-day Greek city of Chania. In legend Cydonia was founded by King Cydon (), a son ...

, Idramia, Aptera, Polyrinia, Kissamos, Elyros, Irtakina,

Syia Syia or Suia ( grc, Συῒά), also Syba (Σύβα),''Stadiasmus Maris Magni'' §§ 321-322. was a maritime town of ancient Crete. It was located on the south coast of Crete and functioned as the harbour of Elyrus. According to the ''Stadiasmus M ...

and Lissos, and also from

Axos Axus or Axos ( grc, Ἄξος), also Oaxus or Oaxos (Ὄαξος) and Waxus or Waxos (Ϝάξος), was a city and ''polis'' (city-state) of ancient Crete. According to Virgil, it was situated on a river; which, according to Vibius Sequester, gave ...

and Lappa in Rethymno regional unit. The museum contains a wide range of coins, jewellery, vases, sculpture, clay tablets with inscriptions, stelae and mosaics. The museum has a Roman floor mosaic, depicting

and

. The Archaeological Museum of Chania also has an ancient

Cycladic The Cyclades (; el, Κυκλάδες, ) are an island group in the Aegean Sea, southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The nam ...

style vessel from Episkopi, Kissamos and a number of busts including one of Roman emperor Hadrian, found at the Dictynaion sanctuary in 1913 and a late Minoan sarcophagus from the necropolis of Armeni, dated to 1400–1200 BC. There is also a spherical flask, noted for its unusual ceramic type, dated to the Late Minoan III period. Early Cycladic tall cup, marble, 3200-2500 BC, AM Chania, 076148.jpg, Cycladic type tall cup, marble, 3200-2500 B.C. Cycladic figurine, female, marble, Crete, 2800-2200 BC, AM Chania, 076188.jpg, Cycladic type figurine, Koumasa variety, 2800-2200 B.C. File:AMC - Vogelgefäß.jpg, Early Minoan bird-shaped vessel. Koumasa ware, 3000 - 2300 B.C. File:AMC - Minoisches Schiff.jpg, Model of an early Minoan ship. Odegetria Monastery area in Asteroussia, 1900 - 1700 B.C. Imprint of Minoan seal, Kastelli, 1450-1400 BC, AM Chania KH 1563, 076138.jpg, Imprint of Minoan seal, Kastelli, 1450-1400 B.C. Minoan pottery, Neopalatial, Mameloukou Trypa cave, AM Chania,076133.jpg, Neopalatial Minoan pottery Clay pyxis, Minoan funeral ceremony, Aptera, 1300-1250 BC, AM Chania, 076150.jpg, Clay pyxis, Minoan funeral ceremony, 1300-1250 B.C. Clay oxen wheel, a toy, Crete, 800-700 BC, AM Chania, 076156.jpg, Clay oxen wheel, a toy, 800-700 B.C. File:AMC - Vogelköpfige Frauen.jpg, Clay figurines of bird-faced women. Boeotioan workshop, 600 - 575 B.C. File:AMC - Goldenes Diadem.jpg, Ancient Greek golden diadem Glass vessels fromworkshop at Tarra, Chania, 5th c BC - 3rd c AD, AM Chania, 076167.jpg, Hellenistic glassware Statue of Artemis, Crete, Roman age, AM Chania, L 79, 076161.jpg, Statue of Artemis, Roman age AMC Roman emperor Hadrianus.jpg, Bust of Roman emperor Hadrianus Glass vessels fromworkshop at Tarra, Chania, 5th c BC - 3rd c AD, AM Chania, 076166.jpg, Ancient Roman glassware AMC - Mosaik 1.jpg, Roman Age mosaic, Dionysos and satyr

References

External links

Archaeological Museum of Chania
{{Authority control

Museums in Chania Museums established in 1962 1962 establishments in Greece