A major special exhibition of Minoan art and artifacts from Greece is coming to New York's
Onassis Cultural Center opposite Manhattan's historic St. Patrick's Cathedral.
From the Land of the Labyrinth: Minoan Crete, 3000-1100 B.C. (March 13-September 13, 2008) presents more than 280 archaeological objects from the museums of Crete. Ceremonial offerings and vessels, figurines, inscribed tablets, jewelry, pottery, seals, tools and wall paintings explore the Bronze Age history and culture of the largest Aegean island best known for its mythical King Minos and his labyrinth.
Crete's early civilization flourished in the 3rd and 2nd Millennia B.C. It produced settlements, palace art and architecture, estates and cemeteries. The exhibition describes Minoan government and society, everyday life, religion, funerary practices, art, writing, foreign relations and trade with Egypt and other ancient Mediterranean basin civilizations. The arrival of the Mycenaeans from the Greek mainland to Crete's shores and the subsequent collapse of the Minoan bureaucracy around 1100 B.C. are addressed.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on September 8, 2006 that a similar exhibition from Crete's
Heraklion Archaeological Museum is scheduled to appear at London's British Museum in 2009.
