The Museum of Prehistoric Thira is unique in its kind of Regional Museum. It hosts findings from the excavations at Akrotiri, from the old excavations of the German Archaeological Institute at the Potamos site, from the excavations at various locations in Thira, from reflections and traditions. The exhibition is an attempt to outline the course of Thira in Prehistoric times through selected finds from the thousands present in the warehouses, a dynamic and creative course that made the southernmost island of the Cyclades one of the most important Aegean centers during the 18th and 17th centuries BC.
The Museum can be considered as an extension of the archaeological site of Akrotiri, since it houses the frescoes as well as the mobile findings of this urban center in its heyday (17th century BC). At the same time, it hosts findings from many other sites of Thera dating from the 5th millennium BC. (Later Neolithic period) until the 17th century BC and show the passage of various cultures from the Aegean over a long period of prehistory. It is also noteworthy that all the exhibits are in an excellent state of preservation.
The permanent exhibition of the museum is housed on the second floor of the building (third level), with an area of 600 sq.m., while the first floor (second level) houses temporary exhibitions, which provide the opportunity to recycle the abundant material of the warehouses occupying the ground floor of the building (first level).
Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou
