Exhibit highlights the common cultural factors connecting ancient Israel and China
Sichuan University Museum displays dozens of artifacts from museums in Israel, China, US
The temporary exhibit “Bronze Age Mesopotamia and the Chengdu Plain”, opening October 22 at the Sichuan University Museum in Chengu, China, features 15 ancient religious artifacts from the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem, and dozens more from various museums around China, as well as the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut. The unique assemblage – dating from between 3300 and 1200 BCE, and including cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals and a statuette made of lapis lazuli from Afghanistan – compares the similarities of the two ancient civilizations, which were separated by more than 5,000 km.
The exhibit, the first ever joint cultural project involving antiquities from China and Israel, shows that while the two Bronze Age civilizations developed on opposite sides of the Asian continent, they had more commonalities than differences. Both Mesopotamia and the Chengdu Valley developed rich urban cultures that flourished near rivers, and came to control the smaller cities around them. Both constructed complex government and religious establishments, featuring royal temples and palaces.
Beyond creating common architectural feats and societal structures, both civilizations developed forms of writing to communicate with and control their territories.
According to the Bible Lands Museum, by fostering a dialogue between different cultures and religions of ancient Asia, the exhibit “Bronze Age Mesopotamia and the Chengdu Plain” is also forging a link of cultural cooperation between contemporary Israel and China.
“The BLMJ is a universal center of education and culture, and we are excited to take part in the first international exhibition dedicated to ancient civilizations in the Sichuan University Museum,” said the BLMJ in a press release.
The exhibit will remain open for six months.