The Site Museum of Naxos Mitropolis was created in 1999 and it is the first museum of this particular type in Greece and internationally one of the few museum institutions where visitors have the opportunity to admire the antiquities in situ, at the exact location where they were unearthed during the excavations. A Mycenaean workshop of vessels, a tomb dating back to the Geometric period, and residences of the 2nd century AD. have been found on the site.
The first inhabitants of Naxos considered being Thracians that dominated two hundred years in the island. Later, came the Kares. They came from Asia Minor having as their leader Naxos who gave his name to the island.
Archeological finds we have from the end of the 4th millennium B.C. The 3rd millennium B.C., Naxos presents a big population to the west of the island. At Panormos were found earnests of their civilization. In the town of Naxos was found a developed built-up-area with square houses and tiled roofs.
More finds there are in relation to the cemeteries of the region. Many graves are masterpieces of art and date back to the 3rd millennium B.C.
There were found also earthen and marble vessels and marble statuettes of the prehistoric era.
After the end of the Cycladic civilization flourishes to the same place the marble material. Afterwards, about the 2nd millennium B.C. when it is developed the Mycenaean civilization, falls the Cycladic. When in 1400 B.C. Crete retires, Naxos helps to the spreading of the Mycenaean civilization to the East.
From the Mycenaean city of the last centuries of the second century BC. millennium, part of the brick wall has been preserved on its stone wall platform. Through the wall, areas of pottery workshops were discovered: benches on which were still leaning uncooked vessels, basins for painting the latter with kaolin, an oven for baking, near which was found one of the largest known Mycenaean craters.
It is one of the few and best preserved laboratory area of the Late Bronze Age in the Aegean. The constructions and findings provided a lot of information about the craft infrastructure of the settlement and the extensive network of contacts of Naxos with mainland Greece, Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean during the 12th and 11th centuries BC. The revelation of the ceramic workshop makes Naxos the only center for many luxury vessels of 12th century.
Naxos' population is transferred to the northwest in the main Greece. So, it is created the town of Grotta about at 1000 B.C.
The 7th century B.C., it was created a society with rich people who lived, up on the hill where today is the Castle of Chora. The people had been living from agriculture, cattle, fishery and commerce. At 734 B.C. gives its fleet to Chalkida for sending settlers to the West and in return gives its name to one from the new towns. So, it arises Naxos, in Sicily. Many battles took place against the island around and particularly, against Paros. At one of them, it was killed the great poet of Paros, Arhilohos.
The worship in the religious centre of Delos affected Naxos. The old buildings and the most important offerings in Delos, come from Naxos. The municipality of Naxos dedicates valuable monuments to Apollo of Delos, as the Sphinx. The marble is a plentiful material in Naxos and it is extracted in Delos for the large labours. For the final smoothing of these labours it is used the emery, principal product of Naxos.
In Naxos we find male and feminine nude statues as: Artemis of the National museum (about 650 B.C.), the marble Apollo in Delos, the huge lions in Delos as also the two Kouros in Melanes and Dionysus in Apolonas with length of 10 metres. The most important building in the sacred island is the house of the Naxos' people.
