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Princesses of the Mediterranean in the Museum of Cycladic Art

08 December 2012 / 18:12:57  GRReporter
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The new archaeological exhibition "Princesses of the Mediterranean at the Dawn of History", organised by the Museum of Cycladic Art, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the University of Crete, opens on 13 December and visitors may enjoy it until 10 April 2013.

Through the stories of: these regal ladies and princesses, priestesses or healers, women of authority or knowledge, local or foreign women, other women, who acquired their knowledge through marriage to foreign men, or those women who for reasons of intermarriage travelled from one place to another, one can distinctly perceive women's contributing role in the creation of open cultural horizons from the 10th century B.C. up to the 5th century B.C., as well as their involvement in the development of the ancient Mediterranean culture.

The exhibition, organised with the cooperation of the Italian President, will present 24 burial assemblages of women from Greece (Attica, Euboea, Macedonia, Crete), Cyprus, Southern Italy, and Etruria. These burials' wealth and the similarities in their customs, create a strong ideological trend and a social dimension, since it can be distinctly perceived that these women, who enjoyed high authority in their societies, were carriers of cultural and social values.

The selection of artefacts which belonged to real women, not to mythical ones, is the great advantage of this exhibition, since, in this way, it gives a genuine, tangible dimension of the world these women lived in. There is also an opportunity to discuss and interpret women’s role in the Early Iron Age societies.

The burial assemblages which will be displayed include copper, ceramic and glass vessels, ceramic and copper idols, idols of ivory, deep water ladles, small cosmetics spoons and jewellery: buckles of copper, iron, silver and precious stones, some of which of great size (20 cm), gold belts, copper necklaces and bracelets, etc., a world of wealth, fame, ideas and beliefs, a world of women at the dawn of history. The famous wooden throne of the dead princess will be presented for the first time outside Italy since Veruchio's funeral there. A total of 500 ancient items will be displayed.

Exhibition curators include Nicholas Stampolidis, Director of the Museum, and Dr Mimika Giannopoulou, archaeologist at the Museum.

Tags: Museum of Cycladic Art the Mediterranean exhibition
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