The Archaeological Museum of Naxos sits inside the Kastro quarter in a building that was once a Jesuit school where the young Nikos Kazantzakis — author of Zorba the Greek — is said to have studied briefly. The collection covers roughly five millennia of Naxian history, from prehistoric Cycladic culture through the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods, and it is one of the finest small archaeological museums in Greece.
The standout pieces are the Cycladic figurines from the Early Bronze Age. These are the abstract marble forms — folded arms, tilted faces, minimalist bodies — that look jarringly contemporary but are older than the Pyramids. The Naxos collection is exceptional because the island was a major source of the white marble used to carve them, and local workshops produced some of the finest examples known. The range in the museum goes from small amulet-sized pieces to one of the largest Cycladic figures ever found. Spend time with them. They repay close attention.
Beyond the figurines, the museum holds outstanding proto-geometric and geometric pottery, early Archaic kouroi fragments (the tradition of colossal sculpture that produced the great statues lying abandoned in Naxian quarries), and later classical and Hellenistic material. There is also a mosaic floor panel from a Roman house — surprisingly sophisticated — and a collection of coins that maps Naxian commerce across several centuries.
The museum is small enough to cover thoroughly in under two hours and organised clearly enough that you don't need a guide. English labelling is adequate throughout. It opens Tuesday through Sunday; check locally for current hours as they shift seasonally. The Kastro setting means the walk there is worthwhile in itself.