Antiquities Exhibits

Cyprus: Island on the Move through March 15, 2020 at the Rijksmuseum Van Oudheden in Leiden, Netherlands. More than four hundred objects including three hundred archaeological masterpieces from the national collections of Cyprus are presented in this exploration of the history and cultural diversity of this archaeologically rich island. A story covering more than nine thousand years, visitors will see Aphrodite statues of marb le, luxury goods from the Near East and Egypt, gold jewelry, imaginative pottery with lively animal figures, decorated bronze kettles and weapons, colorful mosaics and a silver-inlaid king throne. Image: Dated between 460-450 BCE, this Cypriot male portrait with almond-shaped eyes and the 'archaic' smile is typical of a Greek image of the period. However, the curled beard reflects the fashion of the Persian court as 5th century BCE Cyprus was ruled by the Persians. Image courtesy of the museum.

Closing soon! Gods of Egypt through March 31, 2019 at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, Netherlands. The exhibition Gods of Egypt brings together more than five hundred objects from domestic and foreign museums: impressive statues of gods and goddesses, magical papyri, golden jewelry and colorfully painted mummy boxes. The exhibit focuses on the function of the temples in the country, the numerous rituals with which the  gods were worshiped, and the journey to the underworld. It then concludes with an examination of the Greek and Roman conquerors of Egypt who brought the Egyptian gods back to their own cultures. Votive image of Thoth, god of wisdom and writing, depicted as a mantle baboon. Faience with silver muzzle and sickle, and gold sun disc. Ptolemaic Period 332-30 BCE.  Image courtesy of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden.