A major new touring exhibition showcasing stunning artefacts from one of the world’s great ancient civilisations will open at Melbourne Museum on 4 May, 2012.
In The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia, Melbourne Museum presents a magnificent exhibition exploring an era of extraordinary invention and innovation, the impact of which is still shaping our lives thousands of years later.
Premier and Minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu said the exhibition is set to be another stunning success for the Museum, which this week received the award for Major Tourist attraction at the RACV Victorian Tourism Awards – for the second year in a row.
“In one trip to Melbourne Museum, visitors can see everything from prehistoric fossils to Australia’s first computer. Following on from the current blockbuster Tutankhamun exhibition, The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia will be another Australian first for Melbourne Museum. The exhibition will explore an era that has had a profound influence on modern civilisation and is sure to be yet another great drawcard for both locals and visitors,” Mr Baillieu said.
“We’re delighted to be following the record-breaking success of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs with another exhibition of extraordinary archaeological treasures – this time from one of the world’s most esteemed institutions, The British Museum,” said Dr Patrick Greene, CEO, Museum Victoria.
“Mesopotamia played an extraordinary role in the development of human civilisation. The art and literature, reliefs and ritual objects recovered from the region provide a remarkable record of how great knowledge has been passed from the ancient to the modern world.”
Mesopotamia – the ‘Land between the Rivers’ – occupies what is now modern Iraq, north east Syria, and south east Turkey. Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, it was home to a succession of great cities and empires from which emerged many of the fundamentals of contemporary civilisation, in particular in areas of science, art, law and government.
The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia focuses on three of the great centres of ancient civilisation – Sumer, Assyria and Babylon – bringing their rich history to life through objects and multimedia. Themes in the exhibition include palaces and royal power, religious beliefs and rituals, burial practices and royal tombs, and the myths and legends that surround ancient Mesopotamia.
For about 2000 years, the cities of Mesopotamia were lost and forgotten until the discovery of major archaeological sites in the mid 19th century. “The excavation of the ancient cities of Ur, Nineveh and Nimrud were rivalled in significance only by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb,” said Dr Greene.
“These discoveries revealed Mesopotamia’s forgotten wonders – from the massive Ziggurat of Ur and the palace of the legendary king Nebuchanezzar to the royal graves at Ur, filled with exquisite artefacts of gold, silver and bronze.”
Visitors to The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia will see more than 170 artefacts that reveal many aspects of Mesopotamian culture, from massive carved stone reliefs depicting scenes of battles and hunting to items of gold jewellery.
The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia is presented in collaboration with The British Museum. Tickets will be on sale from 5 December 2011. Adults $24, concession $16, children $14, school groups, $10 per student (all tickets include entry to Melbourne Museum).
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