Museum of Cretan Ethnology

The Museum of Cretan Ethnology, with funding from Greece and the European Community, has undertaken the promotion of traditional Cretan society on the Internet within the framework of the national “Information Society” program.

The intrinsic interest of Cretan society is obvious, given that it has preserved its typical cultural characteristics and ancient ancestral memories unchanged down the ages, in spite of 700 years of uninterrupted occupation by the Venetians and the Turks.

The museum displays are divided into seven different ethnological sections related to human beings’ biological need to survive and adapt. These are structured as follows:

1. Food - Exhibits related to diet, agricultural tools, cooking vessels etc.
2. Architecture - Example of Cretan architecture and the fusion of Byzantine and Venetian influences.
3. Handicrafts - Exhibits include a loom room, tools for preparing raw materials, cloths, blankets and covers.
4. Production and trade -Exhibits include items of basketry, pottery, metalworking and contains a traditional Cretan shoemaker's work bench and tools, a threshing sledge and hand mill.
5. Transportation -Exhibits related to travel in Crete including items used to carry goods.
6. Customs and traditions - Exhibits reveal much about the moral code and practice of the Cretan people with items such as sacerdotal vestments, ecclesiastical objects, musical instruments and weapons.
7. Social organization -Exhibits related to Cretian society and governance.