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Islanders: The Making of the Mediterranean

★★★★★
"Spellbinding… calling to mind Picasso and Brancusi at every turn." — The Observer

★★★★
"Many pieces have never ventured overseas… lovers of the ancient world should seize this chance." — The Times

"There’s much to admire"
— The Telegraph

"Revelatory"
— The Week

Bringing together extraordinary antiquities, Islanders: The Making of the Mediterranean takes visitors on a 4,000-year journey from life in the ancient Mediterranean to today.

Many of the more than 200 objects from three of the largest Mediterranean islands, Cyprus, Crete and Sardinia will be seen in the UK for the first time. They help us understand the ways these island cultures reflected, and even shaped the larger Mediterranean world with its migrations and movement of peoples. And they reveal how islanders lived every day, their communities, memories, myths, art and creativity.

Highlights include striking bronze votive figurines made around 4,000 years ago by the Nuragic people of Sardinia; exquisite pottery, jewellery and bronze figures from the palaces, sanctuaries and caves of Minoan Crete; and from the sanctuary of Agia Eirini, a selection of clay-modelled humans, deities, sphinxes and horse-drawn chariots that reveal the complexities of Cypriot society in the 6th and 7th century BCE.

The exhibition, curated by Dr Anastasia Christophilopoulou in partnership with the Ambassador of Greece to the United Kingdom and the High Commissioner of Cyprus in the United Kingdom, is part of the 'Being an Islander: Art and Identity of the Large Mediterranean Islands' project, 2019 - 2023.

The exhibition is organised in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Greece; the Department of Antiquities, Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, Cyprus; and the National Archaeological Museum, Cagliari, Sardinia.

Supported by:

We would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of the Pouroulis Foundation, the High Commission of Cyprus in the UK and other supporters who have made the research project and exhibition possible.

Exhibition details

Special events for this exhibition

A stand in image for On Sale

Muse: Embroideries of the Med

Friday 28 April 2023

From £ 10

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB

Duration: 105 minutes

A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders: Curator's Tour

Friday 14 April 2023

From £ 5

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB

Duration: 45 minutes

A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders Handling Session

Saturday 1 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB

Duration: 30 minutes

A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders Handling Session

Saturday 1 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB

Duration: 30 minutes

A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Friday 31 March 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Saturday 1 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Sunday 2 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Tuesday 4 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Wednesday 5 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Thursday 6 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Saturday 8 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Sunday 9 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for Off Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Monday 10 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Tuesday 11 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Wednesday 12 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Thursday 13 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Friday 14 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Saturday 15 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Islanders VR Experience

Sunday 16 April 2023

FREE ENTRY/ Suggested Donation

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
A stand in image for On Sale

Online:Med. Embroideries

Wednesday 26 April 2023

From £ 5

Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB

Duration: 60 minutes

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