With the settling of the Thessalians in the area, during the archaic period (7 cent., B.C.), independently organized cities develop which constituted the seats of the aristocratic families. The political organization of Thessaly had been directly related to the fate of those families. According to Aristotle, Alevas Pyrros, of the aristocratic house of Larissa, appears to have conceived the administrative and military reorganization of the state of Thessaly. So, at the end of the 6th cent. B.C., Thessaly was divided in four regions, the quarters or divisions: Pelasgiotis, Estiaiotis, Thessaliotis and Phthiotis. In the outer edge of Thessaly, the neighboring nations were settled, bearing their own features: Magnetes, Perrevoi, Athamanes, Dolopes, Aenianes, Malieis, and Oitaioi. These people constituted part of a wider alliance under the dominion of the Thessalians and who are at times being referred to as subjects, at other times as autonomous or as “allies”.
This section includes Thessalian bas-reliefs, created by local workshops, evidently influenced by the Ionic but also from the so called “Attica common” traditions. At the same time, locally produced vessels as well as vessels imported from Corinth and Attica ceramic workshops are presented.
Information about the local Thessalian games comes to light through the references of ancient writers and poets, inscriptions and coins. Since the 5th cent BC, contests had already been taking place, related to horse breeding and the horse riding skills of the Thessalians, such as the “taurotheria” (bull hunt). Within this framework, mainly inscribed stelai are exhibited which offer a valuable source of information regarding the kinds of contests, as well as the participation of the Thessalians in them.
Special reference is made to the burial practices in Thessaly. The findings, urns and burial offerings from the tombs of the cremated dead that were excavated at Omolio and at Krannon, are the silent witnesses of the burial rituals.
Another issue presented in this section is the life of the women. The grave stelae presented, shed light on their position and their significance within the family, the household duties and the upbringing of the children. Mirrors, ointment jars, compasses and jewelry complement the picture of wellbeing, their female aesthetics as well as their vanity.
