The archeological museum is closed for renovation, and has been for a few years now. But there is a small display of what seems to be a representative sample of the collection, and is of excellent quality. Sorry for the odd color of the pictures -- the lighting inside was very bad. I am using the museum descriptions of the items, for what it's worth. It is not my language. One of the things I always find interesting is the similarity of shapes over hundreds of years. The bronze pick is pretty much exactly as the steel ones you can buy in the hardware store today. Many of the pottery is pretty similar to what's being made today.
"Clay seated female figurine with stout buttocks, suggesting female fertility. Kato Chorio, Lerapetra. Middle-late Neolithic period. (5800-4800 BC)"
These are 1600 BC to 1450 BC. From various sites on Crete.
"Clay libation vase, (rhyton) with Marine style decoration of nautiluses, rocks, and seaweed. Phaistos, New Palace period, 1500 - 1450 BC.
"Ritual cup of veined marble, Zakros, New Palace period, 1450 - 1500 BC."
"Libation vase (rhyton) of serpentine, in the shape of a bull's head, with inlays of shell, rock crystal and jasper in the muzzle and eyes. Knossos, New Palace period, 1600 - 1500 BC."
"Clay figurines of adorants. Sanctuary at Piskokephalo. Siteia. New Palace period, 1600 - 1500 BC."
"The Boxer Rhyton, steatite libation vase with relief scenes of boxing, wrestling, bull leaping. Ayia Triada. New Palace period, 1500 - 1450 BC."
"The bull-leaping fresco, depicting a moment of the event, with two female figures and a male one during the dangerous somersault on the bull's back. Knossos. Final Palatial period, 1450 - 1400 BC."
Seals, with image display below the seal.
Final palatial period.
"Luxurious gaming board, known as the 'chessboard', with inlays of ivory, rock crystal, and glass paste, covered with gold and silver leaf, on a wooden base. Knossos, New Palace Period, 1600 - 1500 BC."
"The Phaistos disc. Clay disk with impressions on both sides of hieroglyphic symbols arranged in a spiral running from the circumference of the disc to the center. Amongst the symbols-ideograms can be recognized human beings, human limbs, a boat, birds, animals, various tools, and vases. Phaistos. New Palace period, 1600 - 1450 BC."
No one has translated this yet, either side.
Bronze tools from various sites in east and central Crete, 1600 - 1450 BC.
"Bronze lamp. Knossos, Final Palatial period, 1400 - 1350 BC."
"Clay figurine of 'the poppy goddess.' On the diadem are decorative pins in the shape of poppy heads of the Papaver somniferum, from which opium is produced. Gazi, postpalatial period, 1200 BC."
"Clay bull figurine, Phaistos, postpalatial period, 1200 - 1000 BC."
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