Archaeological Museum of Eretria facts for kids
Ancient theatre in Eretria
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| Established | 1960 |
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| Location |  Eretria, Euboea regional unit, Central Greece. |
| Type | Archaeological museum |
The Archaeological Museum of Eretria is a fascinating museum in Eretria, a town in the Euboea region of Central Greece. It's a special place where you can see ancient objects found in and around Eretria. These items help us understand what life was like thousands of years ago.
The museum first opened its doors in 1960. It was made bigger between 1961 and 1962. Later, from 1987 to 1991, it was updated and expanded even more. This work was done by the Greek Archaeological Service and the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece.
Contents
What You Can See: The Museum's Collection
The museum is right next to the ancient ruins of Eretria. It holds many cool things found at different places. These include finds from Xeropolis, the cemetery of Skoumbri, Palaia Perivolia, and Toumba in Lefkandi. Items from Paliochora and Geraki hill in Amarynthos, and from Eretria and Magoula are also here. Some important objects from Eretria are also shown in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens and the Louvre in Paris.
Amazing Pottery and Vases
One of the most famous items is a terracotta centaur from Lefkandi. This statue is very old, from around 950 BC. It's special because it was found broken into two pieces. Each piece was placed in a different grave!
Also from Lefkandi is a Mycenaean alabastron. This is a small, straight-sided jar with three handles, from about 1100 BC. It has cool designs in white paint on a dark background. You can see a griffin, a roe (a type of deer), and a deer on it.
The museum also has a black-figure epinetron from Amarynthos. An epinetron was a piece of pottery worn on the thigh by women when spinning wool. This one is from the late 500s BC. There's also a large pot called a funerary amphora (a tall jar with two handles). It has geometric patterns and birds. This amphora held the bones of a child and is from the 700s BC.
You'll see many more amphoras and vases. One funerary amphora from Eretria's coast, from 560 BC, shows a battle. It depicts the hero Herakles fighting Centaurs on the front. On the back, it shows Potnia Theron, which means "Mistress of the Animals." Another vase is a Panathenaic amphora from around 363-362 BC. These were prizes in the Panathenaic Games. The front shows the goddess Athena ready for battle. The back shows a scene from the contest itself.
Don't miss the terracotta gorgoneion from the 300s BC. This was a decorative piece, like a scary face, from a house in Eretria called the House with the Mosaics.
Ancient Sculptures
Excavations in Eretria have uncovered some impressive sculptures. Many of these are displayed in the museum. You can see pieces from the west side of the ancient temple of Apollo Daphnephoros. These sculptures show an Amazonomachy, which is a battle between Greeks and Amazons (a group of fierce female warriors).
A very important sculpture shows Theseus and Antiope. Theseus was a famous Greek hero, and Antiope was an Amazon queen. People believe this sculpture was made by a famous artist named Antenor in the 500s BC.
Other Interesting Finds
The museum also has pieces of an ancient storage jar called a pithos. These fragments have carvings of birds eating bodies and are from the 600s BC. You can also see a beautiful necklace made of faience beads. Faience is a type of glazed pottery. This necklace shows the Egyptian gods Isis and Horos. It might have come from Cyprus and dates back to the 1000s BC.
Gallery
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Theseus and Antiope, around 510 BCE.
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Aerial view of the ancient temple of Apollo Daphnephoros
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Part of the Geometric and Archaic period collection.
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An ancient Greek or Roman piece from a wine or olive press.
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Funerary stele (a carved stone slab) with a man and a boy.
