The archaeological museum
The
Archaeological Museum in Leros, housed in the neoclassical listed building of
the old Civic School in Agia Marina was built in 1882 as a boys' school with
the sponsorship of the Lerian Brotherhood of Cairo.
The permanent exhibition of the museum provides a vivid picture of the history
of Leros; it begins with finds from the prehistoric sites of the island, proceeds
to the historic period and focuses on the political affiliation of the island
with Miletus, and presents the local religious customs and funerary practices. The
exhibits include typical examples of pottery and
sculpture (clay masks of Dionysus, female bust, figurine of a symposiast),
resolutions from the 3rd and 2nd century BC, funerary offerings including
red-figyre piriform aryballoi and Roman perfume jars, archaic bronze buckles, a glass
alabaster and amphorae from Chian and Rhodian workshops.
The excavation of the Early Christian basilica and the secular building
in Partheni yielded many archaeological objects, including coins, fragments of
frescoes, mosaic dedicatory floor inscriptions and stone architectural members.
This section of the exhibition dedicated to medieval times refers to the most
important monument of this era on the island, the castle of Panteli, whose
history and architecture is presented through drawings, photographs and visual
material. The exhibition concludes with finds (crossed, blessing talismans) for
pilgrims and travelers who visited Leros, objects from the known "Milesian
islands", and pottery.
Glossary (2)
basilica:
type of large church, divided internally into three or more naves. The central nave was usually covered by a raised roof with windows that illuminated the space.
mosaic:
patterns or
images composed of small, colored tesserae. Mosaic
decoration can
be applied
to all the surfaces
of a building:
floor, walls or ceiling.
Information Texts (0)
Bibliography (4)
1. Βασιλειάδου Μ., Λέρος – Μεταξύ Ανατολής και Δύσης, Athens, 31.07.2005
2. Δρελιώση-Ηρακλείδου Α, Μιχαηλίδου Μ., Λέρος: Από την Προϊστορία έως το Μεσαίωνα, Athens, 2006
3. Στεφανίδου Α., ‘Κάστρο Παντελίου’ in Ενετοί και Ιωαννίτες Ιππότες. Δίκτυα οχυρωματικής αρχιτεκτονικής, Athens, 2001
4. Ενημερωτικό φυλλάδιο Αρχαιολογικού Μουσείου Λέρου, ΤΑΠΑ, Λέρος
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