Artifacts from Four Ancient Civilizations Gather in Ningbo
On July 6, a highly anticipated exhibition titled "Civilizations of the Great Rivers", opened at the Ningbo Museum, co-hosted by Ningbo Museum and the China Cultural Relics Exchange Centre. This exhibition brought together a total of 199 cultural relics from four major museums in Italy and 13 cultural and heritage institutions in China. In a spacious exhibition hall spanning thousands of square meters, authentic artifacts from the four ancient civilizations gathered, engaging in a dialogue on the same stage.
Pyramid in the exhibition hall. (credit: Gu Jiayi)
The four ancient civilizations – China, Egypt, the Indus valley, and Mesopotamia – all originated along rivers, hence being collectively regarded as the "Civilizations of the Great Rivers". The unique geographical features created by each river have played a significant role in shaping such diverse civilizations. The exhibition hall connects these civilizations with a "blue river" as a central theme. This showcases a comparative display of the four civilizations from various perspectives, such as the influence of rivers on the cultivation of civilization and art, the beliefs, as well as the establishment of cities, agriculture, and manufacturing. This presentation offers visitors a glimpse into the origins of human civilization.
Strolling through the exhibition hall, visitors will find authentic artifacts unearthed from various archaeological sites. These include clay cuneiform tablets that are over 6,000-year-old, as well as animal mummies, painted wooden coffins, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead from approximately 3,000 years ago. Attendees will also encounter representative pottery and jade artifacts from prehistoric Chinese civilization, as well as bronze vessels from the Western Zhou dynasty (1046BC - 771BC) and porcelain from the Yangtze River Basin. The historical and cultural significance of these artifacts, along with the cycles of prosperity and decline they represent, can provoke profound contemplation about the shared fate of humanity.
The exhibition showcases artifacts related to the Liangzhu civilization and the Erlitou culture, providing evidence of the enduring nature of Chinese civilization over 5,000 years. It highlights the characteristics of "diversity, unity, inclusiveness, and continuity." The final section of the exhibition hall, dedicated to the "Silk Road", symbolically connects the rivers to the oceans to illustrate how civilizations are interrelated. This section also delves into the present-day significance of the exchange and convergence of different civilizations and the emergence of new dynamics.
Ancient Model of a Multistory House from China. (credit: Gu Jiayi)
China Cultural Relics Exchange Center and the Ningbo Museum are the two host organizations of this exhibition, with the joint support of four prestigious museums in Italy – the Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio), the Royal Museum (Musei Reali), the Museum of Oriental Art (Museo d’Arte Orientale) in Turin, and the Giovanni Barracco Museum of Ancient Sculpture in Rome. This collaboration brings forth a fresh chapter in cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Italy and promotes each country’s splendid civilization and rich history. In recent years, the city of Ningbo has achieved significant results in cooperation with its Italian sister cities, not only in the field of economic trade but also in the promotion of historical heritage, cultural and artistic research, and the exchange of expertise in the restoration of cultural relics. These achievements have become highlights of the bilateral exchange and cooperation between the two countries.
This summer, come and join us on a journey of appreciation and contemplation as you peruse these artifacts and ancient sites. In the vast expanse of time, spanning the past and the future, let us follow the course of those great rivers and have a retrospective exploration of human history and civilization. The exhibition will be staged until October 8th.
Journalists: Pan Wenjie, Gu Jiayi
Translator: Yao Zhanhong (intern)
Proofreaders: Zhang Dongjing, Huang Dawang, Jason Mowbray
