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Archaeological museum of Abdera

• Τριαντάφυλλος, Διαμαντής
• Καλλιντζή, Κωνσταντίνα
• Σουλάκης, Ν

The building of the Abdera Museum was completed in 1993. The finds were transferred there in 1997, when the task began of arranging the exhibition. The exhibition covers the period from the 7th c. BC to the 13th c. AD and is displayed on the ground and first floors of the building. In the first section there is an extensive instructional material designed to inform the visitor about the city’s history. The objects have been arranged in three thematic entities: public life, private life and burial customs.Public life. Our knowledge of the religious life of the Abderites is derived from ancient texts and inscriptions, figurines, cult utensils, reliefs and coins found in the city and its cemeteries. The city-state of Abdera had a democratic regime. Two decrees honouring private individuals for the benefits they rendered to the city and two inscriptions containing laws are exhibited. The city minted its own coins from the last decades of the 6th c. BC. On the obverse was the city emblem, a griffin, and on the reverse, a large variety of symbols. The coins were inscribed with the ethnic “ΑΒΔΗ- ΡΙΤΕΩΝ” and the name of whichever archon was currently responsible for the mint. State measures, weights, seals and objects coming from weapons complete the picture we have of the public life of the ancient Abderites and the inhabitants of Byzantine Polystylon.Private life. The professional occupations of the Abderites, like animal raising and fishing, and more specialized callings, like medicine, are known to us from the remains of the utensils and tools they used. Small-scale industries and workshops also existed. Pottery, figurines and coins moulds, seals with decorative motifs and stamped roof- tiles have been found. There was intense building activity in the city. Parts of the superstructure of buildings are exhibited. Part of a wall-painting, a column capital and the closure panel of the episcopal church are representative of the building activity at Polystylon. The principle artifacts in the daily life of every household were the clay pots and utensils. Lamps and spindle-whorls are also exhibited. For the clothes and hairstyles, we can turn to the figurines and the dress and hair accessories. In the toilet man and women used perfume pots, jewel-boxes, mirrors, small knives, hair-tweezers and strigils. They completed their attire with various ornaments. A series of toys, ornaments, figurines and objects of use, give us a picture of the everyday life of children.Burial customs. An Attic red-figured hydria that was used as a ash-container and a red-figure pelike introduce us to the room containing the finds from cemeteries. Around the walls are showcases with grave groups and tomb markers from 7th c. BC to the Byzantine period. In the middle of the room are sarcophagi, vases used for burials and two reconstructions of grave burials. (8th-2th c. BC).

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία

αρχαιολογικά μουσεία, Ξάνθη

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