Archaeological Museum of Corfu
Encyclopedia
The Archaeological Museum of Corfu in Corfu
, Greece
was built between 1962 - 1965. The museum land was donated by the city of Corfu
. Its initial purpose was to house the archaeological finds from the Temple of Artemis in Corfu
. In 1994 it was expanded with the addition of two more exhibit halls that display the more recent finds at the ancient citadel of Corfu. It is located on 1 Vraila Armeni St.
On 15 October 2010, the museum closed for works with no reopening date yet announced.
The main exhibits are:
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
was built between 1962 - 1965. The museum land was donated by the city of Corfu
Corfu (city)
Corfu is a city and a former municipality on the island of Corfu, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the municipality Corfu, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital of the island and of the Corfu regional unit. The city also serves as a capital...
. Its initial purpose was to house the archaeological finds from the Temple of Artemis in Corfu
Temple of Artemis (Corfu)
The Temple of Artemis is an ancient edifice in Corfu, Greece, built in archaic-style around 580 BC in the ancient city of Korkyra, in what is known today as the suburb of Garitsa. The temple was dedicated to Artemis and functioned as a sanctuary. It is known as the first Doric temple exclusively...
. In 1994 it was expanded with the addition of two more exhibit halls that display the more recent finds at the ancient citadel of Corfu. It is located on 1 Vraila Armeni St.
On 15 October 2010, the museum closed for works with no reopening date yet announced.
Exhibits
The collections of the museum include:- A collection of unknown origin.
- Finds from excavations from the ancient city of Corfu.
- Finds from the region of Cassiope in Corfu.
- Finds from excavations in the district of ThesprotiaThesprotiaThesprotia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital is the town of Igoumenitsa. It is named after the Thesprotians, an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region in antiquity.-History:...
.
The main exhibits are:
- The GorgonGorgonIn Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a terrifying female creature. The name derives from the Greek word gorgós, which means "dreadful." While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair of living, venomous snakes, and a...
pediment from the Artemis temple of CorfuTemple of Artemis (Corfu)The Temple of Artemis is an ancient edifice in Corfu, Greece, built in archaic-style around 580 BC in the ancient city of Korkyra, in what is known today as the suburb of Garitsa. The temple was dedicated to Artemis and functioned as a sanctuary. It is known as the first Doric temple exclusively...
. It is the oldest stone pediment in Greece dated to 590-580 B.C. and is described in the New York times review of the museum as: the finest example of Archaic temple sculpture extant. - The Lion of MenecratesMenecratesMenecrates is the name of:*Menecrates of Ephesus, ancient Greek poet*Menecrates of Syracuse, physician to Philip of Macedon*Menecrates of Xanthus, ancient Greek historian*Menecrates , ancient Greek sculptor...
. This is the work of a famous CorinthCorinthCorinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
ian sculptor of the Archaic periodArchaic period in GreeceThe Archaic period in Greece was a period of ancient Greek history that followed the Greek Dark Ages. This period saw the rise of the polis and the founding of colonies, as well as the first inklings of classical philosophy, theatre in the form of tragedies performed during Dionysia, and written...
. Dated to the end of the 7th century B.C. - The pediment of DionysusDionysusDionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
(Bacchus). Dated to 500 B.C. - The base and part of the body of a kore from the late Archaic period. It was found during the excavation of a pottery workshop in the area of Figareto.
- A marble torso of ApolloApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
. This is a copy of the original statue of "Parnopios Apollo" created by Pheidias (its type is known as the "Kassel Apollo"). Dated to the 2nd century A.D. - Funerary stele with inscription: Δοιαί μεν δεκάδες σε τελειοτόκων ενιαυτών ήδη και τριτάτου κύκλος επείχεν έτευς μισγομένα φθιμένοιαι, φιλίστιον, ανίκα πέ[νθος] ματρί πολυθρηνήτω κάλλιπες Αρπαλίδι. δώμα δ’ Αριστάνδροιο λελονχότος άκριτον Αιδα[ν] και τέκεα κρυερά θήκας εν ορφανία. Αγήνος κλυτόν αίμα, σε δ’ ύστατον ύπνον ελο[ύσαν]. πικρός όδε ζοφερά τύμβος έδεκτ[ο κόνει]. approximately translated as: You went twenty three years old in the underworld and left your mother Arpalis in mourning, your husband Aristandros widower and the children orphan. You chose for yourself the last sleep.
- The terracotta statuettes of Artemis. They were found in large quantities in the small temple of Artemis at Kanoni in Corfu city.
- Four cases with coins found in excavations at various sites of Corfu.
External links
- New York Times review of the Archaeological Museum of Corfu
- Corfu Archaeological Museum from the Internet archive
- Corfu Archaeological Museum from the Greek Ministry of Culture website