Past Exhibitions
The Archaeology of Godin Tepe, Iran
Closed
March 26, 2011 to January 8, 2012
Wirth Gallery of the Middle East, Level 3
In the late 1960s, an archaeological expedition from the ROM, under the late former ROM Director T. Cuyler Young Jr., spent five hot summers in northwestern Iran digging deep into a 30-metre-high mound of ruins called Godin Tepe. They uncovered the longest and best-preserved sequence of human occupation in the region, which has changed the way scholars understand the prehistory of Iran. The results of this excavation—among the most remarkable ever undertaken by the ROM—are the subject of a new book, On the High Road: The History of Godin Tepe, Iran, and of this exhibit.
From 4,500 to 500 BCE, Godin was home to people who participated in the most significant developments of human history. The ROM team uncovered thousands of objects these people used to celebrate life, including wine jars, drinking cups, and jewellery. Among these finds was an unparalleled collection of pottery painted by artists who captured the spirit of the animals of the surrounding countryside with a few impressionist strokes of their brush. This exhibit explains what these objects tell us about the lives of these ancient communities.
A video touchscreen accompanying the exhibit will display a tribute to the late T. Cuyler Young Jr. and animated reconstructions of the occupation of the site.
