Memories and exhibits from the “Cimolian earth”
In the heart of Chorio, an old two-storey house has been transformed into a small but fascinating museum. Here you will see the history of Kimolos from the Neolithic to the Roman era: obsidian and flint, geometric burials with dozens of vessels, inscriptions, figurines and traces of a city that once looked out to sea from Ellinika and Agios Andreas. The narrative blends beautifully with the landscape: the “Cimolian earth”, the white clay that made the island famous, is the invisible thread connecting the exhibits with the volcanic rocks of Kimolos.
Combine your visit with a stroll to the “syrmata” (caves carved into the soft rocks and sealed with colourful wooden doors) of Goupa and a dip at Rema: the exhibits become meaningful when you see their stone, light and sea. At Ellinika and Mavrospilia, dive into the sea and encounter traces of the ancient city on the seabed. Return to the museum to read the captions in a new light. Ask about small thematic tours: the necropolis of Ellinika, “Cimolian earth”, Early Cycladic period.
Notable exhibits
- Traces of everyday life from the Late Neolithic Era: obsidian and flint tools, pottery shards.
- Early Cycladic finds, including a violin-shaped figurine and a small marble krater.
- Mycenaean fragments from Ellinika indicating early settlement and trade contacts.
- An impressive collection of over 300 vessels from the geometric cemetery at Ellinika, with cremations dating from the 8th century BC.
- A tufa funerary stele with a female figure (7th century BC), one of the earliest decorated stone stelae.
- Hellenistic and Roman lamps, figurines and small objects attesting to the city's lifespan until the early Christian centuries.
- A decree honouring the judge Charianthos which sheds light on the political organisation of the Kimolians during the Hellenistic era.
Combine your visit with a stroll to the “syrmata” (caves carved into the soft rocks and sealed with colourful wooden doors) of Goupa and a dip at Rema: the exhibits become meaningful when you see their stone, light and sea. At Ellinika and Mavrospilia, dive into the sea and encounter traces of the ancient city on the seabed. Return to the museum to read the captions in a new light. Ask about small thematic tours: the necropolis of Ellinika, “Cimolian earth”, Early Cycladic period.
