Pierides Museum

The Archaeological Collection of the Pierides Museum – Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation consists of about 2,500 Cypriot antiquities. This private collection, which was initially started by Demetrios Pierides in 1839, was protected and systematically enriched through the years by five consecutive generations of the family.

The collection was housed in the colonial style family mansion, built in 1815, where it is still exhibited. In 1974, the Pierides family decided to give access to the public to visit their residence and archaeological collection. At first, the Pierides residence was open just for the residents of Larnaka and later on to all Cypriots in order to give everyone the opportunity to come in contact with the archaeological exhibits of the collection and through them to get acquainted with the culture of their island. Since then, it operates as a Private Archaeological Museum.

The Pierides Museum – Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation is considered one of the most important private museums of the island, since it presents, with its unique archaeological artefacts and other exhibits, the civilization of Cyprus through the ages. The visitor is offered the opportunity to travel though 9,000 years of Cypriot culture, starting from the Neolithic Period, to the Chalcolithic Period, the Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman Periods and lastly the Byzantine-Medieval Period.

In addition, the museum houses an exemplary collection of original old maps of Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, part of the Ethnographic Collection of Folk Cypriot Art, as well as a rare collection of Hellenistic and Roman glassware. In the Pierides Museum shop visitors can find replicas of exhibits and unique works of art inspired by the museum’s collection, made by talented Cypriot artists.