Ancient Cypriot Treasures on Display in Turin

The Royal Museums of Turin present 'Cyprus. Crossroads of Civilizations,' an archaeological exhibition running until January 9, curated by Luca Bombardieri and Elisa Panero in collaboration with the University of Turin. The show traces connections between antiquity and the present, drawing on a dialogue between Cyprus and Piedmont that began two centuries ago. It features over a thousand precious artifacts, including many previously unseen, from daily objects like a date-shaped ointment jar (mid-1st to early 2nd century AD) to votive terracotta figurines, jewelry, and funerary tools. Highlights include a limestone statue of a seated goddess (first half of the 6th century BC) from the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. The exhibition is arranged in seven sections, addressing themes such as colonialism and women's social roles (section 'Donna & dea'). Loans come from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, and the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia, among others. Local partners include the Academy of Sciences of Turin, the Egyptian Museum, and the University of Turin's Historical Archive and Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. The final rooms on cultural contamination feel somewhat empty despite engaging infographics.