“Imagine losing your identity, history and homeland,” reads the introductory wall in the new “Cultures in the Crossfire: Stories from Syria and Iraq” at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
The wall also simultaneously plays short-but-harrowing video clips in a loop – a mosque in Syria being bombarded by the forces of Bashar al-Assad and Islamic State zealots destroying relics dating back millennia because the regime views them as idolatrous.
Human life is not the only catastrophic loss from the acts of violence perpetrated in the “cradle of civilization” nations of Iraq and Syria (It’s estimated that more than 400,000 have been killed since 2011). Ancient sites in places like Aleppo, Palmyra, Ebla and Nimrud are being destroyed and looted, decimating irreplaceable pieces of history, as well as artifacts representing the cultural heritage of Christians, Jews, Arabs, Kurds, Arameans, Assyrians, Armenians, Turkmens, Shias, Sunnis, Circassians, Druze, Ismailis and Yazidis that call the region home.
Developed in conjunction with the museum’s Penn Cultural Heritage Center, the exhibit spotlights that cultural heritage and diversity, the important human achievements originated in the “fertile crescent,” plus the movements and displacement of people and objects caught in the crossfire, through more than 50 objects from the museum’s Near East and Mediterranean collections, as well as a range of Arabic manuscripts from the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, music and sounds, and documentary film clips.
What’s the big deal? The land that is now Iraq and Syria always seems to find its way into the news. Those places have played a key role in human civilization for more than 5,000 years in the areas of writing and literature, education, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy and the arts.
Gold ornaments, ivories, coins, glass pitchers and containers, and a mosaic panel are among the centuries-old materials that speak to a history of cultural interaction, trade and influence under the rule of several different empires.
Highlights include Palmyrene funerary relief portraits, a crumbling Hebrew tombstone from some time between first and fifth century Iraq, an oud and trumpet from the 19th century, a manuscript page from a Quran, a Kurdish doll, a clay tablet bearing early writing, ancient cylinder seals and stamps for signing documents, an eye idol and incantation bowls.
An “art intervention” of several contemporary mixed media works by Syrian artist Issam Kourbaj are interwoven throughout the exhibit, offering a response to the artifacts and exhibition themes. As Kourbaj put it in remarks he made during a media preview the day before “Cultures in the Crossfire” opened to the public: “What is the future of my past?”
“Strike I, II and III” is a series of video installations featuring a performance of burning matchsticks. “Seed” is an unsettling sculpture of a children’s stuffed bear caught in a hand grinder that represents the war machine, with olive seeds below. It’s a reference to a proverb of righteous resiliency: “They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.”
So what’s being done? “Cultures in the Crossfire” spotlights current work being done by the University of Pennsylvania and the Smithsonian Institution, in conjunction with individuals and groups in the Middle East, to help combat the loss of cultural treasures. In an adjacent gallery, the Penn Museum has reopened its Artifact Lab, where you can see real-time conservation being done of ancient art and artifacts of the Middle East. Conservators will take your questions weekdays, except Mondays, from 11 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 2 p.m., and weekends from noon to 12:30 p.m. and 3 to 3:30 p.m. You can also follow the blog bit.ly/artifactlab.
Penn Museum head conservator Lynn Grant said that preemptive measures are being taken by the people of Syria and Iraq – covering vulnerable mosaics and building protective walls in front of historically significant items to hide them from sectarian vandals or those looking to make some money on the black market. “It’s a lot of fun talking to visitors, and they always give us a slightly different view. We’re still learning new things about (art and artifacts) and new interpretations all the time,” she said.
In the exhibition space outside the Artifact Lab, check out a terra-cotta “slipper coffin” from Nippur, Iraq originally excavated in 1896 and a ceramic wine jar from Hajji Firuz, Iran excavated in 1969 and dated to about 5400 BC.
In late April 2018, the Penn Museum is scheduled to open a major suite of galleries that will explore the story and legacy of the ancient Middle East.
What’s “Star Trek” got to do with it?
In “Darmok,” episode 102 of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Captain Jean-Luc Picard tells stories from the Epic of Gilgamesh – which was first recorded in Sumerian cuneiform – to communicate with a species who only speak through allegory.
Starting at 6 p.m. April 19, the Penn Museum invites you to “Star Trek Night.” Admission is $20 ($15 for members) and includes one free drink.
Activities include a talk with Dr. Steve Tinney, the associate curator-in-charge of the museum’s Babylonian Section, a choose-your-own adventure odyssey towards Starfleet graduation, live music by The Roddenberries and more. Go to www.penn.museum/programs/adult-programs/p-m-penn-museum.
