A bronze shield from Pontos, 185-160 BC
Though it closed at the beginning of July, I was able to see the Pergamum exhibit over the Independence Day weekend. I went on a Friday night, rightly assuming that the crowds which make the Met so hard to explore would be out of town. Most of those in the museum were the clueless tourists, most of whom got in the way, talked loudly, and flew through the exhibit probably because they had no idea what they were looking at. Fine by me.
An “old friend” from Athens
The Met gathered antiquities from across the world to create the exhibition, Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World. I was surprised and pleased to see some “old friends” from the Antikytheria Shipwreck exhibit (and redux) that the National Archaeological Museum in Athens had held in 2013. I took a few pictures, but I already have photos of the pieces.
I took 184 photographs, some of which I later deleted (bad photos, duplicate photos, etc.). I just managed to get through the exhibit right before the museum closed at 9. I bought the exhibition catalog–hardback. I usually buy the paperback copy because it is cheaper (and sometimes I wait for a few months and hope that the catalog is put on clearance, which sometimes happens if any are left over), but I was told that too many people complained that the paperback copies fall apart. Now the Met only prints its catalogs in hardback.
Overall, it was a wonderful exhibit.
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- Gold myrtle wreath, ca. 350-325 BC
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- Statue of Demosthenes, Athenian orator
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- King Pyrrhos of Epeiros
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- Colossal statue of Athena
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- Gold diadem, 200-150 BC
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- Onyx cameo of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II of Egypt
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- Glass plate, 225-200 BC
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- Apotheosis of Homer, late 3rd-2nd century BC
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- Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Julius Caesar, side by side
The Researching Librarian 