Students enrolled in Anthropology 272 (Introduction to Archaeology), Anthropology 277 (The Archaeology of Ancient Peoples), and Anthropology 320 (Ancient Civilizations), or those living in or near Toronto, or who plan to travel there in the next 4 months, a new exhibit of ancient and modern Syrian artifacts is on display at the Aga Khan Museum.  The fifty or so items are drawn from institutional and private collections and include figurines, vases, steles, textiles, flasks, panels, fragments and stone reliefs.  The objects are organized around major themes such as divinity, the home and humans, and beasts.  The oldest item dates to 3200 BC and the most recent are works by contemporary Syrian artists.  Syria: A Living History was curated by Filiz Cakir Phillip, the head curator at the Aga Khan Museum, and Nasser Rabbat, director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT.  Their stated intent is to illustratate the multicultural character of Syria and to show how "it contributed to all the great civilizations that grew up around the Mediterranean".  Among the influences, large and small, from many ethnicities and religions,  are Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Ottoman, Arab, pagan, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim.  Syria: A Living History runs from October 15, 2016 through February 26, 2017.

Contact Information:

Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Dr., North York, ON M3C 1K1 (Phone: 1-416-646-4677 or 1-844-859-3671)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/small-treasures-major-pleasures/article32363528/