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Central Greece | Viotia

Chaironeia: The Lion of Chaironeia and the Museum

Chaironeia is a pole of major interest for both international and Greek visitors, due to the Lion of Chaironeia, a monument to the fallen members of the Theban Sacred Band, who were killed fighting heroically in the battle of Chaironeia against Philip II and his son Alexander the Great. Very important are also the prehistoric exhibits of the small, but must-see, local museum.

The Lion of Chaironeia

The Lion of Chaironeia

Chaironeia lies on the main route from Phokis (Fokis or Fokida) to north Greece, and to Viotia (Boeotia) and Attica. One of the most important events in its history took place on the small plain between the foothills of Mt Thourion and the Boetian river Kephisos. This was the battle fought in 338 B.C. which established the supremacy of Phillip II in the south of Greece.

The Athenians had taken up a position to the east of Chaironeia, near the stream of Aimon and the foot of Mt Thourion, opposite Philip, while the Thebans were arrayed against 18-year-old Alexander in the plain near Kephisos. In the battle that followed, the members of the Theban Sacred Band were killed fighting heroically. Two 'polyandria' (common tombs) were erected on the positions occupied by the rival forces. The site where the Macedonians were buried was found and excavated by the Ephor of Antiquities Sotiriades in 1902-1903, three kilometers (1.86 miles) to the east of Chaironeia. It is a tumulus 7 meters (21 feet) high. At the point where the fallen members of the Theban Sacred Band were buried, with the permission of Philip, a colossal lion was erected facing the Macedonian tumulus. The lion was considered a symbol of heroism and Philip, a soldier himself, could not refuse Thebans their request.

In ancient times the lion was assembled from five pieces of marble. At some point over the centuries, the statue collapsed and broke to pieces, possibly as a result of subsidence of the ground or of an earthquake, or because of the poor quality of the stone of which the base was made. Lord Byron found it in pieces and partly buried when he visited it on his way from Ioannina to Athens in 1809. The Englishman Crawford discovered the head and a few more pieces during an improvised excavation in 1818, but covered them again. The Turkish Sultan wanted the Lion for Constantinople and Ali Pasha for Ioannina, but they gave up their claims because of the difficulty of transporting it; they should have asked Lord Elgin for his expert advice!

The site was excavated by the Archaeological Society in 1879, when 254 skeletons were found buried in seven rows within an enclosure. The restoration of the monument was begun in 1902 by the sculptors Phytalis and Sochos, with funds provided by the Archaeological Society. A pedestal 3 meters (9 feet) high was constructed and the pieces were reassembled, missing parts being restored with stone from Xiria near Livadia. The total height of the monument reached 5.5m (16.5ft), and was positioned against a backdrop of cypress trees by the roadside, next to the local museum. In 1998-2000 the monument was conserved (the surface was cleaned and the mortar replaced) by the IX Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in collaboration with the Center of Stone of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.

The Museum of Chaironeia

An archaeological collection existed in Chaironeia since 1870. Because of the increasing bulk of the archaeological finds a new Museum was necessary, which was built by the Archaeological Society and inaugurated in 1907. Because of earthquake damages the building was under restoration and remained temporarily closed during 2005 and first half of 2006.

The Museum comprises:
A Neolithic collection A Collection from the cemetery of Abai (vases, figurines)
An Epigraphic collection.

The most important exhibits are:
A clay model of a house, from the neolithic settlement at Magoula Balomenou, Chaironeia.
A clay female figurine painted with geometric patterns from the neolithic settlement at Magoula Balomenou, Chaironeia.


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Click on any of the pictures to enlarge.

The Museum in Chaironeia

(Photos by Michael Tziotis) The Museum is now open: we are going to enrich this page with photos of its exhibits very soon. Please do come back from time to time to check.


Chaironeia: The Museum Restoration Works Sign

Chaironeia: The Museum Restoration Works Sign


October 2005: It is a pity to come all the way to Chaironeia and find the museum closed! As Mr Spiros, the guardian of the museum, very kindly explained to us, the restoration work was a must after the damages of a series of minor earthquakes suffered by the building and the exhibits themselves. The new Museum building is ready. What remains to be done is the tiding up of the museum yard (photo to the right) and the careful setting up of the finds in the exhibition windows. The museum is expected to open in the second trimester of 2006.
Chaironeia: The Museum Yard

Chaironeia: The Museum Yard


Excavation pits still open, pieces of ancient marble lined up in front of the storehouse, waiting for the final positioning, thus no way to let visitors in. As soon as the museum opens, we promise to come back and enrich our album with the very best of photos!
Chaironeia: Museum Yard During Excavations

Chaironeia: Museum Yard During Excavations


December 2005: A comparison between the previous and the next photo proves the progress of the works; the small excavation ditch in the previous photo now has grown to cover a large part of the Museum yard.
Chaironeia: New Museum Building And Excavation Pit

Chaironeia: New Museum Building And Excavation Pit


The building is finished; windows and museum furniture are expected. Once they are in place, there remain long hours of work for carrying and arranging the exhibits. It is said that the museum will be open to the public in late spring of 2006.
Chaironeia: Closed Museum Gate And Sign

Chaironeia: Closed Museum Gate And Sign


The sign is about the new Museum under construction. In the background, the museum wall is visible

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