Dion, Archaeological Museum

Among the remains of the great thermal baths were several statues representing Asklepios, the healer and protector of the body, and parts of his family. Next to his wife Epione were statues of his sons Podaleirios and Machaon. From his daughters, statues of Hygieia, Panakeia, Akeso and Iaso were found.

From the second century BC, The Isis cult began to replace the Artemis cult. There were statues of Isis Tyche, Isis Lochia, the goddess of birth, and Aphrodite Hypolympiada. A statue of Julia Phrougiane Alexandra stood upright on the base of the excavations. Furthermore, statuettes of Harpokrates, the companion of the Isis, and stone tables showing footprints of different sizes (possibly of men and women) are exhibited. In addition to the representations of persons, one found the upper part of a well frame as well as cult objects such as a millstone, a fruit press and a small altar.

It is the oldest sanctuary in Dion to date, and dates back to the 6th century BC. On the site, cult objects, clay figures, lamps, vases and coins were found. Exhibited in the museum are parts of statues from different eras. Thus a head of the Demeter from the 4th century BC, And a head of Aphrodite from the 1st century. AD. The Roman copy of a statue of Artemis (original from the 4th century BC) was found in the spring of the river Baphyras and is exhibited under the designation "Artemis Baphyria".

A statue of Perseus, the last king of Macedonia (reign from 179 to 168 BC), and stone writing plaques are exhibited in the museum.

• A letter of King Antigonus Gonatas to Agasikles. The 16 lines of the letter from the 3rd century BC, the treatment of a dispute between Noumenios and his children. It was about the use and possession of a large plot.
• A letter King Philips V to the magistrate of Dion from the year 180 BC, Eurylochos, was urged to recognize the religious status of the city of Cyzicus in Asia Minor as a religious place. At that time a religious place was not subject to any secular rule.
• Fragments of a writing tablet (around 200 BC) confirming an alliance between King Philip V and the citizens of Lysimacheia. On the fragments is written the oath which was given by the ambassadors of the citizenship of Lysimacheia. Another fragment refers to a condition of the alliance, namely, the prohibition of alliances with one of the two pacting parties hostile camps.
• A letter of king Philip V (206-205 BC) to the citizens of the Thessalian cities Pherrai and Demetrias. It defines the border between the two cities on the basis of specific local conditions.
• Confirmation of an alliance between King Perseus and the Boetians (172 BC). From this connection Perseus promised support against the Romans. The Roman historian Livy noted that there are three stone steles on which this pact was written down. One of them stood in Theben, the center of Boeotia. a second stele stood in Delphi and a third in a famous place whose name was not handed down. The discovery of the missing, third stele in Dion testifies to the importance of the city at that time.[1]

Exhibited objects of this sanctuary are cultic statues of Zeus and Hera as well as two stone statuettes of sitting eagles.

From early Christian times, stone reliefs, crucifixes and objects of the liturgy can be seen. From the Leda House, a fully preserved marble table, supported by a lion statue, is exhibited. In addition to numerous other statues and statuettes, a mosaic from the Villa of Dionysus is depicted, which represents a Medusa head in a circular frame.

In northern Greece, coins were introduced as an exchange medium quite early. Due to precious metal mines on the Chalkidiki peninsula and the Pangaion Mountains, enough raw materials were available for the coinage. In the first half of the 5th century BC, Alexander I established the coinage in the Macedonian kingdom. The main reason for this step was to pay taxes to the Persians. By expanding his kingdom to the east, Alexander I brought more mines, in the vicinity of Philippi, under his control. The yield from these mines alone was estimated as a talent silver (about 26 kg) per day. Depending on the availability of the raw material silver, the coins were produced either from pure silver, or from a silver alloy with admixture of other metals. From the 5th century BC onwards, Two currencies existed in parallel. Heavy and valuable coins for foreign trade and smaller, lesser value, for payments within Macedonia. By the end of the fifth century, the smaller silver coins were gradually replaced by bronze coins. Phillip II continued to expand the Macedonian state, gaining control over other mines. Next to the minting-house in Pella, another, probably in Amphipolis, was built. From this time gold coins were also manufactured according to the Attic standard (see Attic talent) introduced by Philip II.

A special coin category is the so-called ghost coins (Greek δανακέ, danake). They consist of gold leaf and were put into the mouths of the dead to pay the ferryman Charon. This, according to Greek mythology, brought the dead across a river into the realm of Hades.[3]

The pieces found in Dion and its surroundings date back to the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, Chr.

After the emergence of the Roman Empire (31 BC) Rome secured the sole right to the coinage of gold coins. The Aureus was the only gold coin in circulation. It was used for payments in foreign trade and for the payment of high officials of the Roman state. As an internal currency, the denarius was in circulation. The production of silver coins in Macedonia was discontinued, possibly bronze coins for local trade were still produced. Also in Dion was a local minting area; during the excavations many of these coins were found.

A further innovation of the Roman coin was that for the first time all coins had a uniform appearance.

This excavation lies at the eastern foot of the lower Olympus. The presence of people was proofed from the first half of the 7th millennium BC. First settlements date from the time of the Middle and Late Neolithic Period (5600 - 4500 BC). Some thousand years later (2100 - 1050 BC) hill graves (tumuli) were excavated. The central tomb was considerably larger and deeper than the surrounding tombs, indicating a special status of the deceased.

A Roman cemetery from the 4th century AD consists of 16 graves for 12 adults and 4 children. The numerous grave attachments (Kterismata) were completely preserved.

Named after the river Tribina (or Derbina), the remains of a settlement dating from the time around 2500 BC. were unearthed. From the Mycenaean era there are 24 tombs, in which either individual persons or up to three persons were buried. The tombs do not have a uniform shape, but they have grave attachments such as vessels, weapons and jewelry.

The sleeping girl

Located at the foot of Mount Olympus; The first traces of the presence of people dating around the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. A tumuli from the late Bronze Age was surrounded by a stone ring (10 m diameter). Within the hill grave nine separate graves were found. The tumuli was marked by the collection and arrangement of stones in a certain form (Sema).

Two graves (named grave "A" and grave "B") were discovered two kilometers north of Katerini. Grave "A" consists of two rectangular chambers with a marble door between the burial chamber and the antechamber. This type of Macedonian grave is the forerunner of the great Macedonian tombs because it lacks the artistic façade which is usually found in Macedonian tombs. It was covered by a flat roof. Grave "B" is smaller and has only one burial chamber. Though the graves were stripped long ago, impressive grave remains, exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.

Near Makrygialos a skull of a girl was found during excavation from 1994 to 1996, in tomb 108. It had died quite young, because it had not yet a fully developed dentition. For her funeral, she was decorated with a bronze diadem. Next she wore a bronze bracelet, three finger rings, a necklace, and metal fittings on her belt. Archaeologists gave her the name "sleeping girl". There were three Mycenaean clay vessels among the burial objects. Diadems of the kind the girl wore them were very rare as burial gifts for girls or young women. They underline the high social rank of the deceased.

The Dionysus mosaic is exhibited in this building, which is located west of the museum and was completed in 2007. From a gallery the mosaic can be viewed from all sides. In showcases the visitor is presented the latest finds from excavations from Dion and surrounding ancient sites. A video informs about the dismantling of the mosaic at its site, the transport to the Archaiothiki and the subsequent restoration. The building was built especially for the exhibition of the Dionysus mosaic.

South of Archaeothiki is the scientific laboratory. It is operated by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Southeast of the museum, archaeological finds from Dion, Leivithra and the surrounding area are stored in a long-stretched building. In a workshop, professional staff deal with the cataloging and cleaning of the finds. Repairs of broken pottery are performed on an all-round table.

• 6 March (in memory of Melina Mercouri)
• 18 April (International Monuments Day)
• 18 May (International Museums Day)
• The last weekend of September annually (European Heritage Days)
• 28 October
• Every first Sunday from 1 November to 31 March[4]