Museum Information Sheet: Archaeological Museum of Larissa
General Presentation
The Archaeological Museum of Larissa is housed in a Muslim mosque, which was
built at the end of the 19th century and was a gift of Queen Olga to the remaining
Muslims of the town of Larissa. It is the newest of the city’s mosques and the only
one salvaged today. The ancient objects are exhibited in the only hall of the mosque.
The Museum offers a permanent exhibition, which contains exhibits from Paleolithic,
Neolithic, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman collections. Upon entering the
museum the visitor sees the show cases with exhibits from various periods, while
exactly opposite, at the other end of the hall one can see the impressive Neolithic
menhir-style stele. Two lines of window-cases occupy the central space of the hall.
The internal show-case contains findings from the Prehistoric to the Archaic Era,
while characteristic are the prehistoric findings of the wider region of Larissa, but also
the archaic findings from the important tomb cemetery of St George of Larissa. The
external line of show-cases contains clay and copper vessels from the Classical and
Hellenistic years, providing the visitors with an insight into the skills of craftsmen
from Thessaly.
The three sides of the hall are covered by stands, on which one can see statues from
the Hellenistic and Roman eras, as well as stones and votive steles, some of them
demonstrating the high standards of the art in Thessaly, which has been partially
influenced by Ioanian standards. The side of the hall where the entrance is displays
show-cases with Paleolithic and Neolithic exhibits.
The small space of the one and only hall of the Museum offers the potential for a
concise journey in the ancient art of Thessaly. However, it cannot cover anymore the
cultural and educational activities of a modern museum.
The new Archaeological and Byzantine Museum of Larissa, which is built during this
period, will contain exhibition spaces for Prehistoric, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman
and Byzantine antiquities, storage rooms and specialized workshops for murals,
mosaics, clay and glass objects, metals, statues and icons. The flexibility of the space
has been foreseen, with the potential of increasing and decreasing the space allocated
to each theme.
A refreshment area, a multiple use hall (for periodic exhibitions, lectures and other
events) and a multimedia hall, in which the visitor will be informed of the history of
the region and the exhibits s/he will see before entering the museum. Finally, the new
building of the Museum will also house the offices of the Classical Antiquities
Ephoria and the Byzantine Antiquities Ephoria.
History
The history of the Archaeological Museum of Larissa begins at the end of the 19th
century. Antiquities were gathered for safekeeping at the Teachers’ College
immediately after the liberation of Thessaly (in 1881). In 1906 the Archaeological
Company already intended to establish a Museum in Larissa.
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Upon assuming the position of the Curator of Antiquities in the region, Ap.
Arvanitopoulos found the antiquities in a bad condition as a result of the 1897 war.
Arvanitopoulos transferred the exhibits from the Teachers’ College to the Town Hall
and then to the Frourion (Castle), where he built sheds for their keeping and also
created the first index for the Collection of Larissa.
Most of the exhibits remained on the hill of Frourion until 1957. Many of them were
scattered, stolen or broken during the 2nd World War. In 1957 the Curator of
Antiquities D. Theocharis made sure that the exhibits were taken to the Mosque, close
to the former Municipal Market and organized the first systematic exhibition of
representative antiquities in the hall of the Mosque.
The Mosque was damaged in 1980 by the earthquakes and it was repaired, and so was
its minaret. The Museum opened again in 1983, following the reorganizing of the
exhibits and the addition of new findings, such as show cases with Neolithic pottery
from the excavation of the German archaeologist and the most recent excavation at
Soufli Magoula and Platia Magoula of Zarko, the show cases with the Archaic
weapons, vases and jewelry from the tomb cemetery of Agios Georgios of Larissa,
etc.
There has been an activation for the building of a new Museum already in the 60s. A
site was found on municipal grounds in 1975, close to the location Mezourlo, at the
southern part of the city, where the Municipality provided the Ministry of Culture
with a 10 acre area for the erection of the new Archaeological and Byzantine Museum
of Larissa. The location is ideal, on an elevated spot with a view of the city, on the
secondary road from the national road to Trikala. It can be easily accessed from the
centre of the city, but also by visitors coming from other places. The erection of the
new Archaeological and Byzantine Museum of Larissa is currently under way.
The Permanent Exhibition of the Museum
The current Archaeological Museum of Larissa, which is housed in the only salvaged
mosque of the city, possesses a hall, in which are exhibited the antiquities of its
Permanent Exhibition. The exhibition program is structured in a chronological order,
following a circular course in the space. Two lines of show cases are placed at the
centre of the hall, while one can see exhibits on stands on the four sides of the hall.
The side of the entrance and the internal line of show cases contains findings from the
Paleolithic and Neolithic Periods, providing the visitor with a glimpse of the everyday
life of the prehistoric peoples in the region of Larissa, through vases, figurines, tools
and other small items. The findings come from older excavations, as well as from the
excavations of the German archaeologists in the 50s from Soufli Magoula and Platia
Magoula of Zarko. The classification of the show cases with Neolithic pottery
according to its various phases and stratigraphy constitute and important element for
the visitor. A clay model of a Neolithic house containing eight anthropomorphous
figurines, found in a show case to the left of the entrance, is particularly interesting.
The tour of the visitor continues with the external show cases, where one can see
exhibits from the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic Periods, which come from the
important tomb cemetery of Agios Georgios of Larissa, from Farsala, Agiokambos
and other regions of Thessaly. The clay pottery, weapons and jewelry from Agios
Georgios of Larissa, a red figure pot by Evergides and a knit basket in the form of a
compass with fruit and a copper urn from Kallithira.
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One of the most important exhibits of the Museum can bee seen on the side of the hall
opposite the entrance and it is a Neolithic stele in the form of a menhir, which
interrupts the stands with the Classical period stones. Here one can see the sepulchral
stele of Ilxinos, the stele depicting a woman holding alabaster in one hand and a
sphere in the other, as well as the sepulchral stele of the helmeted warrior, who died in
the battle of Tanagra in 457 B.C. On the left side of the show cases one can see
statues from the Hellenistic Period, while on the right, stones and statues from the
Roman Era, with the representative examples of the young girl from Herakleion from
Agios Georgios of Grevena and the family of the stone dolphins from Prino of
Trikala.
Exhibition themes
Findings from the Paleolithic and Neolithic Periods, as well as findings from the
Neolithic Period from the excavations of the German Archaeologists from the 50s
(Soufli Magoula and Platia Magoula of Zarko).
o Vases, tools, figurines, jewelry and other everyday small items, menhir-type
steles.
o Findings from the Archaic Period from the tomb cemetery of Agios Georgios
of Larissa.
o Weapons, vases and jewellery.
o Findings from the Classical and Hellenistic Periods from Larissa, Farsala and
Agiokambos.
o Clay and copper vases, figurines.
o Statues, mainly from the Hellenistic and Roman Periods
o Stones from various regions of Thessaly.
Information
Opening Hours
Monday: closed
Tuesday - Sunday: 08:30 - 15:00
Holidays:
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January 1st : closed
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Theophany: 08:30 - 15:00
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Shrove Monday: 08:30 - 15:00
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March 25th : closed
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Easter Friday: 08:30 - 15:00
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Easter Saturday: 08:30 - 15:00
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May 1st : closed
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Κυριακή του Πάσχα: closed
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Easter Monday: 08:30 - 15:00
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Holy Spirit: 08:30 - 15:00
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August 15th : 08:30 - 15:00
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October 28th : 08:30 - 15:00
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December 26th : closed
Access to the Museum
The Museum can be found at the city center (31st August St) and it can be reached by
car.
Offers: WC and point for the issuing of tickets / provision of information.
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