» Musei 1) MUSEUMS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK. The Archeological Museum. Via Lungomare Schisò phone # 0942 51001 Opening hours from 9 am until one hour before sunset. Located at the extremity of Schisò Peninsula, next to a small XVII-XVIII century fort, Naxos Archaeological Museum collects archaeological finds brought to light during a series of recent diggings around the area of the ancient colony. On the ground floor, prehistoric materials testify the presence human settlements in this area since the Neolithic era. Corinthian vases and fragments from the late 8th century B.C. and other Euboean-style finds also document the long history of the colony and its origins. On the second floor, unique exhibits illustrate the different phases of the city’s history from 7th to 5th century B.C. : vases, small altars, statues and several other objects of everyday use such as lamps and loom weights, which bear witness to the colony’s rich material culture. Statuettes depicting a sitting goddess, decorative female busts, other votive offerings, antefixes with woodland deities-shaped masks, and decorative architectural polychromes record the presence of numerous sanctuaries and places of worship in the 6th century B.C. . On the upper and lower levels, funerary equipment dating back to the archaic, Classical and Hellenistic ages is displayed. Finally, several Roman and Byzantine items record the existence of settlements until the beginning of the Middle Ages. The Heidelberg Naxos Altar: The altar with relief sphinxes and floral decorative motifs is an exemplary piece of local craftmanship dating back to the 6th century B.C. Its major fragment was bought and kept in Naxos; a famous German archaeologist, Friederich Von Duhn, bought the other fragment in 1904. Such fragment was kept in Heidelberg University Museum. In 1985, Paola Pelegatti discovered that the two fragments belonged to the same altar. It wasn’t until 1997 that the Heidelberg fragment was transferred to Naxos and the altar was recomposed. The Archaeological Park: The origins of the park are extremely ancient , dating back to 734 B.C., when Chalcidians from Euboea and the inhabitants of Naxos founded the first Sicilian colony. A thriving colony in the archaic period, the city underwent complete restructuring under Ierones, who rebuilt the city following a strict urban plan in Doric style. In 403 B.C. , Dionysius I of Syracuse razed the city and its walls in order to punish it for its alliance with Athens in the war against Syracuse: he subjugated the population and left the city in the hands of the nearby Sicilian populations. The war put an end to Naxos as a full-fledged city, even though its port continued to have an important role throughout the ancient times. Taormina founded in 358 B.C. by Andromacus, father of historian Timeus, became the main city and offered refuge to Naxos’ exiles. Thus the history of Naxos is only three centuries long; however the richness of its archaeological remains render the city an excellent place to study the history of ancient Greek colonies in Sicily. The old urban settlement of Naxos occupies the lavic plateau on the small Schisò peninsula and territories to the north, covering a surface of 40 hectares. The bay marks the North-East boundary, while Santa Venera stream marks the South-East one. The huge bay, extending from Capo Taormina and capo Schisò, was a natural harbour for ships driven by the currents from Capo Spartivento or Capo dell’Armi in the Calabria region. The first Greek ships followed this route, which measures around 40 km. Hhe historian Ephorus narrates that Theocles’ ship, founder of Naxos, landed here driven by the sea winds. The Ancient City(7th-6th century B.C.): Archaeological evidence demonstrates that the first urban settlement at the end of 8th century B.C. occupied roughly 10 hectares, including the area around the bay, where numerous remains dating back to such period have been found. During the 8th century, the settlement grew into a full-fledged city. Roads extending into different directions characterised the original urban plan, subsequently replaced by the strictly regulated one in 5th century B.C. . Among these roads, many had a North-South trajectory, were much wider than the others, and connected the coast to the inland. Sanctuaries and small worship edifices were present within the ancient urban settlement. The constructions were very simple, with a rectangular foundation plan lacking any portico, and yet enriched by polychrome wooden frames around the roofs and decorated pediments. One of the major sanctuaries in the city near the mouth of Santa Venera stream dates back to the last decades of 7th century B.C. The face of the southern wall of the tèmenos, the holy precinct, is extremely remarkable and rare: the lavic blocs of the external face are smooth and rounded at the margins, so that the blocs seams are curved. Such technique originated in Eastern Greece , where numerous similar examples appear, while it was extremely rare in the Western colonies, which further proves the antiquity of Naxos settlement. Here in Naxos the greatest number of pottery kilns from the ancient, late-Roman and Byzantine eras has been found. Clay was extracted from the hills surrounding the bay, and potteries sites were located outside the city. However, a small number of kilns was present within the city. The impressive external walls were built with enormous lavic blocs, presumably at the end of 6th century B.C. when the city was under attack by Hippocrates. The wall had two faces and is 4,60 metres thick. Its perimeter has been entirely discovered and displayed four gates corresponding to the four main roads. The first silver coins were minted at the end of 6th century B.C. and bear witness to the evolution, affluence and complexity of the colony’s life. On their obverse the coins display the head of Dionysius, while on their reverse they exhibit a bunch of grapes. La Ville Du Veme Siècle: Diggings have brought to light the remains of a second and more recent urban settlement constructed according to a rigid geometrical division of space. Three main roads crossed the city east-west , which crossed at regular intervals with north-south arteries, thus forming, within the city centre, very long and rectangular blocs. Square foundations were present at each crossroad in the same position, which led archaeologists to believe these might have been votive altars. During the Classical Age, silver coins of great artistic value were minted in Naxos. On the obverse these coins depict the head of the god Dionysius, while on the reverse a silenus sometimes substitutes a bunch of grapes. 2)CITY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Via Naxos- phone 0942/551413 Opening hrs. : Tue-Sat 9:00 am-13:00 pm/ 3pm-7 pm; Sunday 9:00pm-13:00 pm. www.museostorianaturalenaxos.it