Focus Washington Talks with 'Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations' Curator Dr. Sophocles Hadjisavvas

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Focus Washington

Sep 27, 2010, 12:56 ET

Exhibition Features Rare Artifacts on Display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Guests to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will be among the first to view several Cypriot artifacts never before seen. Presented on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus, "Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations" highlights 11,000 years of the Mediterranean island's history.

In an interview with Chuck Conconi on Focus Washington, Dr. Sophocles Hadjisavvas, the former director of the Cyprus Department of Antiquities and guest curator of the exhibition, said that the exhibition gives visitors the chance to explore the rich cultural heritage and history of Cyprus

The exhibition in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History will be on display from September 29, 2010 through May 1, 2011, and will include:

  • Gold jewelry and sphinx sculptures from the Cypro-Archaic period (750 to 480 B.C.)
  • Vases, bowls and sculpture, 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, painting and vases from the medieval period (13th and 16th century)

SOURCE Focus Washington