“Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations” to Open at Smithsonian in September

Cyprus, the eastern-most island in the Mediterranean Sea, situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, has been a meeting point for many of the world’s great civilizations. From its 11,000-year history, Cyprus has woven its own distinctive history and culture.

“Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations” will be on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History from Sept. 29 through May 1, 2011. The exhibition is presented on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus.

The exhibition will feature more than 200 artifacts—covering nearly 11,000 years of history—which range from items from the earliest villages to masterpieces of medieval religious art, give an overview of the island’s unique culture. Among the objects on display will be for the first time in this country.

• Gold jewelry and sphinx sculptures from the Cypro-Archaic period (750 to 480 B.C.)

• Vases, bowls and sculptures, including an Aphrodite marble, from the Hellenistic (325 to

• 50 B.C.) and Roman (50 B.C. to A.D. 330) periods 

• Bronze and copper items, including lamps and jugs, from the Byzantine period (330 to 1191)

• Religious icons, paintings and vases from the medieval period (13th to 16th century)

The exhibition also will feature nearly 100 coins from different eras in Cypriot history, starting from the Hellenistic period through the Venetian period.    

“Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations” was made possible by the Cyprus Department of Antiquities, the Cultural Foundation of the Bank of Cyprus, the Byzantine Museum of the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation, the Holy Bishopric of Morfou, the Pierides Marfin Bank Museum, the Thalassa Museum of the Municipality of Agia Napa and the National Museum of Natural History.

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