Testament Of Time Selected Objects from the Collections of Palestinian Antiquities of the Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Missouri--Columbia

Testament of Time illuminates not only the long history of human activity in the southern Levant but also the long-standing connection between the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the archaeology of that region. Under the direction of the museum's founders, Drs. Saul and Gladys Weinberg, the Palestinian collection grew to include artifacts spanning five thousand years, including the Bronze and Iron Ages as well as the Persian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods. The objects highlighted here date from the fourth millenium B.C.E. to the eighth century C.E, and also include finds from the university's own pioneering excavations at Tel Anafa and Jalame.
The resulting catalogue, edited by Jane Biers and James Terry, contains 190 objects from the exhibition that were chosen to represent the occupation of the Levant from the Early Bronze Age down to the eighth century. The largest component represents the Bronze and Iron Ages with a focus on death and burial, trade, domestic life, and early religion. These sections are followed by objects representative of the succession of kingdoms that dominated the Levant before the Arab conquest. Thus trade, domestic life, and the myriad of religious beliefs are examined under Persian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine influence. Finally, two additional sections detail the University's excavations of a magnificent villa at Tel Anafa as well as the glass and ceramic technological revolutions of the Hellenistic period. The catalogue thus encompasses the long history and cultural complexity of the Levant and is a testament in itself to impeccable scholarship and educated collecting. Photographs are by Jeffrey Wilcox and include over 200 images, with 17 in color.