DESCRIPTION
HISTORY
EXHIBITIONS
INFORMATION
PHOTOGALLERY
 
 
© Ministry of Culture and Sports, © 14th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities
External view of the Museum
The Museum is housed in the Old High School of Atalanti which has been declared a protected monument. The three main rooms of the building and the main corridor are devoted to a display of archaeological finds from systematic and rescue excavations in the area of eastern Lokris and the north-east part of ancient Phokis. The artefacts on display represent every cultural phase from prehistoric until historical times. In the main corridor are displayed stone objects, the majority of them grave stelai, with only a single statue-torso of a Roman general. From the grave stelai stands the type of limestone in the form of couch. The rest of the display, housed in the three rooms immediately beyond the corridor, is developed in chronological order. In the Case I vessels, figurines, and stone tools from Neolithic period have placed. Case II there are finds of the Early Bronze Age from the prehistoric settlement found at Proskynas during the construction of PATHE motorway. Interest attaches to parts of marble Cycladic figurines,clay frying-pan vessels, and obsidian tools pointing to contacts between the inhabitants of the region and the islanders. Case III examples of characteristic pottery, stone and bone tools, and spindlewhorls of Middle Bronze Age are exposed. A hand made conical cup and a gray Minyan amphoriskos came from tombs of this period. Case IV finds from tholos-tomb cemeteries of the early Late Bronze Age are exposed, including vessels, bronze weapons, gold jewelers, seal stones, and a boar's tusk helmet. Case V finds from also tholos-tomb cemeteries of the late Late Bronze Age are exposed, including vessels, stone jewelers, metal artefacts and clay figurines. In the Case Va pieces from pictorial kraters with battle scenes of the Late Bronze age (LH IIIC) from the settlement at Kynos, and ship figurines are included. Case VI finds of the Early Iron Age, such as vessels, bronze jewellery and dress accessories are exposed. In the Case VII hand made and wheel made vessels with the characteristic geometric decoration of the same period are included. They are also bronze vessels and dress accessories. In the same way, Case VIII exhibits vessels of archaic and classical period with the characteristic red-figure and black-figure decoration, some produced in the region and some are imported. Case IXa coins issued by the Lokrians and Phokians, and by other cities, which circulated and were found in the region, also some coin hoards. Case X vessels of Hellenistic period, mainly produced locally, are exposed. Case XI exhibits characteristic vessels of the Roman period, iron and bronze tools, glass vases, bone pins and a bone spatula. Case XII examples of ancient technology, such as tools and vessels used for everyday purposes and by various professions (farmers, potters, builders, fishermen, stone-masons, etc. The Case XIII is dedicated to women's everyday practices and children's games. Finds that usually accompanied the dead to the tombs, or were used in ritual associated with death. The same room contains a reconstruction of a funerary monument, based on similar representations in vase-painting, stone objects used in various tasks, such as a winch, millstones, rubbers, wine-presses and a table and shelves on which are displayed vessels of everyday use, such as plates, drinking cups, vases to contain liquids, cooking pots, and storage vessels. Finally there is a rare type of marble column with the bust of a couple, dating from Roman times, which is probably from a funerary monument.
Author
Eleni Zachou, archaeologist