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Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations

September 29, 2010 - May 1, 2011

Museum: Natural History Museum

Location: Special Exhibit Gallery, 2nd Floor, Northeast Wing (Hall 23)

The easternmost island of the Mediterranean has been a crossroads of civilizations for 11,000 years. Discover the history of Cyprus, its struggles, and achievements -- through a rich collection of more than 200 artifacts and antiquities, many of which are on view for the first time outside the country. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus, the exhibition gives an overview of the island's unique culture through
a range of objects dating from the earliest villages to masterpieces of medieval religious art.

Highlights include:

• 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)
• Nearly 100 coins from different eras in Cypriot history, from the Hellenistic (325 to 50 B.C.) through the Venetian period

Online Exhibition