Eastern Mediterranean Gallery (Exhibition)
Title: Eastern Mediterranean Gallery
Curator: Lauren Ristvet
Curator: Eric Hubbard
Curator: Virginia Herrmann
Curator: Joanna Smith
Abstract: The new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery uses the concept of "crossroads" to explore the archaeology and history of Cyprus and the Levant by focusing on four vectors of connection: religion, politics, trade, and migration. Connecting diverse people and cultures, this region has been a space of coexistence, conflict, and creativity. The exhibition tells the story of how the eastern Mediterranean—Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, and Cyprus—was a hub of cultural exchange and creativity from 1500 BCE to 1000 CE, connected through trade, migration, religion, and empire across the Mediterranean to Egypt, Arabia, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia. At the same time, this area has been home to distinctive and diverse local cultures, where innovations like the alphabet and monotheism first emerged. And over these 2500 years, this space also saw the emergence and spread of three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all of which remain important in the United States today.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://www.penn.museum/on-view/galleries-exhibitions/eastern-mediterranean-gallery
Primary URL Description: This links to the Penn Museum website page on the new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery. The page includes an overview of the gallery at a glance, as well as a description of each of the gallery's themes.

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