World history and museums: The exhibition “Greek gold. Treasure of the Greeks and the barbarians from the Historical Museum collection”

The State Historical Museum (Moscow) April 27, 2016 opens the exhibition dedicated to the jewelry art of the Greeks and the barbarians who once lived on the shores of the Black Sea. The subject range of the exhibition includes about 200 gold ornaments VI century BC - V century AD and more than 100 gold coins of the Greek and Roman coinage from the museum collection.

As elsewhere, the gold in the ancient world was used to create jewelry and precious glassware, decor weapons and other luxury items, as well as in religious ceremonies. Gold serves as an important material for minting coins of large denomination and is a symbol of power and prosperity.

Antique jewelers are creating more and more new kinds of decorations, trying to please the customer and follow the fashion. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and pendants are an important part of women's attire. The most prestigious and spectacular golden wreaths were considered and richly decorated with a tiara.

The exhibition features Greek jeweler decorations from Panticapaeum, Chersonese, Cap and other ancient cities of the region.

The exhibition is also axiomatic with barbaric jewels of Sarmatian time - gold Migulinskaya cup with handle in the form of animal figures, a mirror with a gold pen from Mayer mound, glass kantharos with gold plates from Seversky barrow, jewelry from the "Golden Cemetery" - necropolis of Sarmatian aristocracy in Kuban.   

The exhibition is completed with the era of the Great migration of peoples, when Greek civilization in the northern Black Sea coast was swept away by the warlike nomads who came from far eastern steppes.

An important place in the exposition belongs to rare gold coins of various Greek city, Bosporus Kingdom and the Roman Empire. Some coins have served as models for the production of gold plaques or indications - a kind of imitation coins, often acted as "obol Charon" - payment for the crossing of the underground river Styx.

The exhibition is complemented by red-vessels, bronze mirrors, pottery and glass vessels toiletries, beads made of different materials. Many of these unique monuments of ancient art are exhibited for the first time.