Africa and Byzantium / Andrea Myers Achi ; with contributions by Moez Achour, Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Michelle Al-Ferzly, Roger S. Bagnall, Vince L. Bantu, Fathi Bejaoui, Nejib Ben Lazreg, Deniz Beyazit, Elizabeth S. Bolman, Claire Bosc-Tiesse, Stephanie Caruso, Silvia A. Centeno, Kathrin Colburn, Emilia Cortes, Stephen J. Davis, Marie-Laure Derat, Sarah F. Derbew, Eyob Derillo, Helen C. Evans, Mary K. Farag, Ariel J. Fein, Helina Gebremedhen, Jacopo Gnisci, Father Abate Gobena, Pratima Gopalakrishnan, Emmanuel Iduma, Liz James, Hieromonk Justin of Sinia, Jessica L. Lamont, Jacqueline Lombard, Faouzi Mahfoudh, Dorothy Mahon, Tsedaye Makonnen, Annissa Malvoisin, C. Griffith Mann, Irene Soto Marin, Sigrid Mirabaud, Sailakshmi Ramgopal, Naila Razzaq, Giovanni R. Ruffini, Aleksandra Sulikowska-Be¿czowska, Thelma K. Thomas, Kristen Windmuller-Luna, Arielle Winnik, Felege-Selam Yirga.
Catalog of an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from November 19, 2023-March 3, 2024; and at the Cleveland Museum of Art from April 14-July 21, 2024 Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-344) and index
Contents:
Photography credits Acknowledgments -- Contributors to the catalogue -- Lenders to the exhibition -- Note to the reader -- Timeline -- Contemporary reflections -- From Carthage to Aksum: Africa in late antiquity -- Byzantine Egypt -- Byzantine North Africa -- The Kingdoms of Nubia -- The Aksumite Empire -- Black Africans of the Mediterranean -- Bright as the sub: Africa after Byzantium -- Post-Byzantine Africa -- Post-Byzantine Egypt -- Nubia, Byzanitum, and Beyond -- Legacies: Black Byzantium -- Ethiopia and Byzantium -- Ethiopian Icons -- Artistic Renaissance in Christian Ethiopia -- Contemporary reflections -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- Photography credits
Summary:
"Art history has long emphasized the glories of the Byzantine Empire (circa 330-1453), but less known are the profound artistic contributions of North Africa, Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia, and other powerful African kingdoms whose pivotal interactions with Byzantium had a lasting impact on the Mediterranean world. Bringing together a range of masterworks--from mosaic, sculpture, pottery, and metalwork to luxury objects, paintings, and religious manuscripts--this exhibition recounts Africa's central role in international networks of trade and cultural exchange. With artworks rarely or never before seen in public, Africa & Byzantium sheds new light on the staggering artistic achievements of medieval Africa. This long-overdue exhibition highlights how the continent contributed to the development of the premodern world and offers a more complete history of the vibrant multiethnic societies of north and east Africa that shaped the artistic, economic, and cultural life of Byzantium and beyond." -- Metropolitan Museum of Art website
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.