Conveniently situated just off Platia Dhimokratias, the Pierides Museum (Mon- Thurs 9am-4pm, Fri & Sat 9am-1pm, plus Sun peak season 11 am-1pm; C£1) shares an old wooden house at Zinonos Kitieos 4 with the Swedish consulate, and was renovated to good effect in late 1994, though there are still a few unsorted, unlabelled display cases. The building was originally the home of Dhirnitrios Pierides, who began his conservation efforts in 1839, using his wealth to salvage discreetly what archeological treasures he could from tomb plunderers, including the infamous Luigi Palma di Cesnola, first US consul at Larnaca.
Unlike Cyprus's state-run archeological museums, the well-lit collection, which was expanded by Pierides' descendants, ranges across the whole island, and is simply the best and most digestible ensemble for a complete overview of Cypriot culture through the ages. That said, it's strongest on Archaic terracottas, plus other unusual small objects that have escaped the attention of the official district museums. The half-dozen exhibition rooms are arranged both by theme and by period, with the earliest artefacts to the left as you enter.
Among the oldest items are some greenish picrolite idols from the Chalco- lithic period (c.3000 BC), and the famous "Howling Man" of the same era from Souskiou, in the first gallery to the left. Liquid poured through his hollow head pees out of a prominent member; the mechanics give little clue as to whether he had a religious or secular function. Less unexpected are the Archaic female statuettes brandishing drums and other votive offerings, which were left in shrines as "permanent worshippers".
There are numerous notable examples of painted Archaic pottery, espe- cially one decorated with a so-called "astronaut" figure (beloved of Erich von Daniken and other extraterrestrial-visitation enthusiasts), bouncing on what appear to be springs or other mechanical devices, though they are described as a "stool". Among the imported painted Attic ware, you'll find Theseus about to run the Minotaur through with his sword, while on another pot in the same glass case, two centaurs, emblems of lust, flank a courting couple; note also the dish emblazoned with two scaly fish and a cuttlefish.
The collection of relatively rare Cla~ical and Hellenistic terracottas includes a funerary reclining man from Marion, in perfect condition down to the fingers, and a model sarcophagus with three pull-out drawers; other oddities include a surprisingly delicate spoon among a trove of Early Bronze Age black incised ware.
A room to the right of the main corridor -which itself houses a superb collection of antiquarian maps of Cyprus and the Aegean -is devoted to Byzantine and Lusignan pottery, in particular brown- or green-glazed sgraf- fito ware. Perhaps the drollest etched-in design is a rampant Lusignan anthropo~ morphized lion, seemingly prefiguring Picasso.
In the "folklore" wing on the right at the rear of the buildiftg, you'll find assorted jewellery, embroidery and household utensils, as well as a finely carved polychrome desk and annoire. Featured also are numerous works by the "naive" painter Mikhail Kashalos, killed aged 89 by the Turkish army in his village studio in 1974. Particularly topical is a canvas of the Green Line in 1964, complete with UN personnel.
