Ongoing Exhibition
In the ancient Mediterranean, gods and goddesses were associated with personal symbols. These personal symbols, or attributes, could refer to the mythological history of the divinity, their powers and influence, or both. Religious exchange across Greece, Rome, and Egypt meant that the attributes of many gods and goddesses changed over the centuries, while others remained consistent across time and cultures. This symbolic language is found throughout ancient art and archaeology and reflects contemporary religious practices.
Through artefacts held in the Museum’s permanent collection, this exhibition explores the attributes of gods and goddesses of the ancient Mediterranean and the reciprocal nature of religious acts in the ancient world.
Curated by James Donaldson and Samantha Levick
Exhibition image: Dionysiac frieze, Villa dei Misteri, Pompei, II Pompeian style (I century BC). Image by WolfgangRieger, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA. Cropped from original.
