'Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations' to Open at Smithsonian in September

Exhibition Features More than 200 Artifacts on View for the First Time in the United States

WASHINGTON, July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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:

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.

SOURCE Smithsonian Institution

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