Wherever a trip may take you, it’s always interesting to get to know the history and culture of the natives. Museums are one of the best aids to this cause. So when we found ourselves in Paros island, we made sure to visit the Archaeological museum, located at the city of Parikia.
Our first impression of the museum was a beautifully landscaped exterior, decorated with a few carefully chosen exhibits that intrigued us enough to wish to see more! It was there we first saw the mosaic of 3rd century B.C. with the mythical Labors of Hercules as well as the human sarcophaguses. It’s a very impressive exterior area that wins the visitor right away!
The Museum itself is not very big, however its exhibits are very important and come by archaeological diggings contacted on the island itself as well as the nearby island of Antiparos. The findings are of a wide chronological spectrum, from the Neolithic Era to the first Christian Times. They are exhibited chronologically in the few halls of the museum, making it easier to follow the history of the island. The visitor gets acquainted not just with the history of the island of Paros but the entire Cyclades Culture in general as well as interesting highlights of the past. One of the most impressive and valuable exhibits is the statue of Victory of Paros, dated at 470 B.C. despite the fact that the statue is missing its head, arms and wings.
It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the statue of Artemis (or Diana) and its impressive height of almost 2.5 meters. This statue is dated to 480-490 B.C. and was worshiped in ancient rituals. Another exhibit not to miss is the idol of the “fat lady”. It was dag up at the small island of Saliangos and is the oldest idol in the entire Cyclades Group of islands. It represents the woman body and is dedicated to fertility, dated at 5.000 B.C!
Finally, here you can also find the statue of Gorgos, extraordinarily preserved almost whole. It is dated in the 6th century B.C. and used to be the centerpiece of some ancient temple. Small exhibits are also very interesting. We saw quite a few, discovered at the small island of Despotiko, exhibited in a small hall of the museum. Recent diggings brought to light the very impressive indeed Altar of Apollo!
Our visit to the Archaeological Museum of Paros lasted an entire morning! We’ve learnt the most interesting things, got acquainted to sides of ancient Greek way of living and art that truly impressed us, and just for a while, we enjoyed the magic of travelling through time. It’s your turn now!
