Greek, Roman and Etruscan pottery, blown glass, coins, weapons and mosaics from between the 21st century BCE and the 3rd century CE are featured in the exhibit “Mediterranean Treasures: Selections from the Classics Collection.”
Curator Kathryn Barr structured the exhibition to show how ancient Mediterranean cultures used the same tools and means to create aesthetically different pieces.
“For centuries, the region surrounding this body of water has been an area of great diversity,” she said in a press release. “Many of the great civilizations of Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East developed along its shores and each one influenced the others.”
Museum spokeswoman Linda Coldwell said exhibits like this are common in larger markets like Paris and New York, but Oklahomans have a world-class exhibit right in their backyard.
“You can’t see a collection like this for hundreds of miles,” she said. Coldwell said that part of the beauty in the pieces is that they had little value during their time.
“The pottery are such physical objects but you know they were made by hands 2,000 years ago,” she said.
The exhibit will be on display until April 17. For more information, call 325-4712 or visit www.snomnh.ou.edu. —Sara Custer
