Greeks and Phoenicians at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean

20 Dec 2011 - 20 Sep 2012

The exhibition was organised as part of the"Thessaloniki, Crossroads of Cultures" initiative of the Ministry of Culture.

The Greeks and the Phoenicians, two of the oldest peoples in the Mediterranean, during their coexistence in this corner of the world, met each other in many cultural crossroads. Through the centuries, their relationship fluctuated, depending on the social and financial context and the political turmoil that affected the Mediterranean world.

The exhibition aimed to trace the multifaceted meetings of the two peoples on the littoral crossroads of the Mediterranean from the prehistoric era to the sack of Tyros by Alexander the Great. It included 135 artefacts of various categories (pottery vessels, metal containers, figurines, seals, jewellery, ivory artefacts, coins, inscriptions and funerary stelae) from the American University of Beirut as well as many Greek museums and institutions (National Archaeological Museum, Archaeological Museum of Delphi, Archaeological Museum of Herakleion, numerous ephorates of antiquities across Greece, the University excavations at Eleftherna in Crete and the University excavations at Karabournaki in Thessaloniki).

The exhibition was accompanied by a scientific catalogue.