Archaeological Museum of Samothrace: Into the depths of the Kabeirian Mysteries

One of the finest examples of ancient Greek art and one of the most renowned sculptures in the world, the famous Nike of Samothrace was probably created by a Rhodian sculptor around 200 BC and shortly afterwards dedicated to the Sanctuary of the Great Gods. It came to light in 1863, during the first excavations carried out on the island by an archaeological mission led by Charles Champoiseau, the French vice-consul in Adrianople, who “smuggled” the winged Nike to Paris.

Today, the headless Nike statue, 3.28m in height (5.58m including the marble ship’s prow on which it stands), is exhibited in the Louvre Museum, but its replica dominates the courtyard of the Archaeological Museum of Samothrace, forever reminding visitors of its origin.

Built by the American School of Classical Studies between 1939 and 1961, the museum was renovated in 2014-15 and now houses a multitude of artefacts from the Sanctuary of the Great Gods and other monuments of Palaeopolis: jewellery, coins, sculpture, inscriptions and finds from Samothrace’s cemeteries, alongside architectural reconstructions that help visitors form a complete picture of the ancient town.