Ancient Turkey (Room 54)
The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gallery
About 5500
– 300 BC
Ancient Anatolia (modern Turkey) forms an important land link
between Europe and Asia. Objects in Room 54 show different
Anatolian cultures from Prehistoric to Hellenistic times.
Examples of Early Bronze Age craftsmanship on display include
silver bull and cup. Business archives of Middle Bronze Age
merchants illustrate trading between central Anatolia and
Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). Delicate gold jewellery and figurines
date from the Hittite period. Iron Age objects from Urartu, eastern
Turkey, include winged bulls and griffins used to decorate
furniture.