Archaeological Museum - New Building, Archaeological museum in Mytilene, Greece.

The Archaeological Museum in Mytilene is a building that displays objects from the late Stone Age through the Roman period, including pottery, sculptures, and floor mosaics found across Lesbos. The exhibits come from excavations at ancient homes, temples, and burial sites throughout the island.

The first museum building was erected in 1935 by the American School of Classical Studies, but geological problems undermined its stability. In December 1965 the collection was partly moved to the Bournazos family mansion of 1912, acquired by the Ministry of Culture through the efforts of Ioannis Kontis. After the Ministry of the Aegean occupied that house in 1985, the antiquities went to the basement until the building returned to the Ministry of Culture in August 1990. The new building at Kioski, on the site of the 1935 museum, dates from 1990.

The collection reflects how people on Lesbos developed their crafts over time through objects found in Roman homes and ancient settlements. You can see pottery and decorative work that shaped local artistic traditions across generations.

The museum is split between two buildings: the old Bournazos mansion on Argýri Eftalióti 7, closed since 2014 because of serious damage, and the 1990 multi-level building at Kioski, which holds the archaeologists' offices, pottery and metal conservation labs and storerooms. Check which building, if any, is receiving visitors before setting out.

The museum features dedicated exhibition areas for mosaic floors recovered from Roman homes and displayed at their original excavation level. This presentation method lets visitors see the mosaics as they once lay in ancient houses.