Central Greece
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums
This page, part of our Greece Travel Guide, provides details of the art, archaeology and history sites, museums and related attractions to visit in the Central Greece administrative region. Readers wishing to visit these places will find visitor information, links to official websites as well as other helpful resources. The guide is produced by Thomas Dowson, an archaeologist and the founder of Archaeology Travel, who has been visiting Greece regularly since 1990, and is currently researching a comprehensive guidebook to Athens. Read more about the website, its authors and our work.
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Archaeology & History Sites in Central Greece
Delphi Archaeological Site
Besides being an incredible archaeological site, loaded with mythology, Delphi has the most stunning setting on the side of Mount Parnassus overlooking the Phocis valley. The mountainside location did not hamper the ancient builders, the site has spectacular theatre, a 4th century BC Temple of Apollo, and a stadium that hosted the Pan-Hellenic Pythian Games every four years – the origins of the modern Olympic Games. Delphi is also the location of the Delphic Oracle and the ‘navel of the World’.
Orchomenus
An important and rich archaeological site, with evidence of habitation from the Neolithic to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The Mycenaean tholos tomb is said to have been built for Minyas, the mythical king of Orchomenus. During the Bronze Age Orchomenus was a wealthy Mycenaean settlement – rivalling nearby Thebes. When the Macedonians were at war with Thebes and Athens, the town took the side of Philip and Alexander. For this they were rewarded fortifications and a theatre, which was still in use in the late Roman period.
Thebes
Thebes was an important settlement from at least the late Bronze Age. Today, scattered throughout the modern city of Thebes are the archaeological remains of the successive occupations of the area, from prehistory to the Byzantines. Unfortunately many of these sites are under developed, although there is a programme of restoration currently underway. The city’s archaeological museum has extensive displays of artefacts recovered from various excavations that tell the story of the city.
Museums & Art Galleries in Central Greece
Delphi Archaeological Museum
The museum was founded in 1903 to mark the end of the first major programme of excavation at the archaeological site of Delphi. With the volume and size of objects recovered at the site, the museum has been expanded and redesigned many times since. In 14 galleries covering 2000 square metres of floor space are displayed some of the best artefacts, sculptures and architectural elements, including the Charioteer of Delphi, the frieze of the Siphnian Treasury, the cult statue of Antinous and the Sphinx of Naxos.
