Chora brings together a distinctive museum collection and an archaeological site nearby: the Archaeological Museum presents one of the most comprehensive collections of Mycenaean art in Greece; close to Chora lies Volimidia, with its chamber tombs carved into soft rock. This brings two different approaches to the past side by side: a collection of objects and architecture whose layout can be described through the tombs. For culture enthusiasts, this creates a clear thematic focus connecting art and archaeological architecture.

Mycenaean Art at the Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum of Chora presents one of the most comprehensive collections of Mycenaean art in Greece. The collection includes intricately decorated vessels, grave goods made of gold and semiprecious stones, bronze weapons, and everyday objects. The collection thus brings together artistic craftsmanship and a wide range of object types.

These groups of objects offer several ways of engaging with the collection without reducing its subject to a single category of find. Form, material, and object type are three distinct aspects: the grave goods are made of gold and semiprecious stones, the weapons are made of bronze, while the vessels are notable for their intricate decoration. In this way, the collection brings craftsmanship, material, and object groups together, offering more than one way to explore Mycenaean art.

The History of the Museum Building

The Archaeological Museum building has its own architectural history: Pátroklos Karantinós designed it in 1955, and construction was completed in 1966–1967. The design and completion are distinct milestones; together, they span more than a decade. This makes it possible to distinguish the history of the building from the Mycenaean art in the collection: one concerns 20th-century museum architecture, the other Mycenaean art.

Chamber Tombs in Volimidia

At Volimidia, near Chora, 33 excavated Mycenaean chamber tombs are carved into soft rock and arranged in groups. They have a dromos and usually a round burial chamber with a vaulted ceiling. The dromos forms the entrance to the burial chamber; it is therefore a distinct part of the tomb complex alongside the chamber itself. Some tombs also have side chambers and niches.

Two levels of structure can be distinguished: the usual layout of a dromos and burial chamber, and the additional side chambers or niches found in some tombs. Their grouping in the soft rock adds the spatial arrangement of the tombs to these architectural features.

The area of Volimidia was apparently already inhabited during the Middle Helladic period, in the 17th century BC. This information adds a separate perspective to the architectural description: it concerns the settlement history of the area, not the layout of an individual burial chamber.

Two Different Perspectives

When choosing a cultural and historical focus, the difference is clear: the museum brings together the theme as a collection of Mycenaean art, while Volimidia represents the form and grouping of chamber tombs. The museum is in Chora; the tombs of Volimidia are near the town. Those interested in both can consider the history of objects and architecture as different aspects of the Mycenaean past.

Discover more destinations: Chrani, Ichalia, Charokopio, Kampos, Pilos Nestor, Platsa, Logga, Lagkouvardos

For the broader travel guide: Messinia.