Archaeological Museum of Kavala: Exploring the cult of the Virgin

The museum houses prehistoric finds from the wider Kavala region, including discoveries from excavations at Neapolis (ancient Kavala), Amphipolis and other sites in Eastern Macedonia. The central theme of the exhibition, organized into ten sections, is the city’s continuous history, presented under the title “Neapolis, Christoupolis – Kavala.”

Among the most important exhibits are the architectural sculptures associated with the cult of Parthenos, a goddess quite rare in Greece, who was considered the patron deity of Neapolis (later Kavala). The Sanctuary of Parthenos, possibly a version of Artemis or Hera, is the only building of ancient Neapolis that we know of today. It was a magnificent Ionic temple from the early 5th century BC, built of white Thasian marble.

The Archaeological Museum of Kavala holds two of the temple’s impressive capitals, which have been placed at their original height. In the sanctuary’s deposits – i.e. the material from the pits, where the discarded votive offerings to the goddess were deposited – sculptures, coins and a large collection of vases and figurines were found, as well as a marble model of a temple, which probably depicts an older temple of the goddess.

Most of these are now on display in the Museum, along with finds from other important regional sites, such as Topeiros, Amphipolis, Galepsos, and many others.