'The Ancient Gold and Silver of Romania' at the National Union Museum of Alba Iulia, Romania
The “Romania’s Ancient Gold and Silver” travelling exhibition can be admired at the National Union Museum in Alba Iulia, until July 12.
According to organizers, the exhibition is the successful outcome of a museographic project of national amplitude, one of the most grandiose approaches of its kind organized by Romania in the last 20 years.
Metalworkers in Dacia, an ancient empire in what is now Romania, worked gold into snake-shaped bracelets, which scholars believe were used as offerings to the gods [Credit: Kenneth Garrett/ National Geographic Creative]The exhibition proposes an impressive historical journey covering a period of over 6,000 years. It is for the first time that Romanian visitors are given the chance to see, brought together in the same place, the most important masterpieces of prehistoric, proto-historic and classical craftsmanship, owned by museum collections in the country.
Detail of Dacian bracelet from Sarmizegetusa Regia [Credit: National Union Museum, Alba Iulia]Thus, over 1,000 archaeological exhibits made out of precious metals of a rare historical, aesthetic and symbolic value may be admired on this occasion. Of all these valuable masterpieces, all of them discovered during the last few centuries on Romania’s territory, we would mention merely the golden Dacian bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia and the Treasure of Pietroasa, known as the “Hen with the Golden Chicks”.
Dacians fashioned gold into coins, as well as jewelry. These coins, like the bracelets, were looted from the site of Sarmizegetusa Regia, the Dacian capital, and recovered in recent years [Credit: Kenneth Garrett/ National Geographic Creative]Thirteen archaeological pieces from the National Union Museum of Alba Iulia are included in the exhibition, including the golden necklace with 27 lozenge-shaped pendants dating from the 2nd Century B.C., stolen from the Dacian fortress of Capalna.
Author: Dana.Purgaru | Source: Nine O'clock [June 12, 2015]
