PAMELA BRADLEY

The term ‘ancient’ is defined with different parameters in different cultural and geographical areas. In Europe the ancient world is seen as that period of time before the fall of the Western Roman Empire around 476 CE, while in parts of Africa, the Near East and Southern Asia, ‘ancient’ is pre-Islamic and varies from place to place. In China the term refers to the time before the Soong Dynasty of the tenth century CE, and in South and Central America it means pre-Columbian.

‘Treasure’ is an evocative term, conjuring up images of gold, silver and precious gems. Its legal definition in certain parts of the world is quite narrow, but to archaeologists and historians, all finds can be considered ‘treasures’. Some of the criteria used to define a treasure in this publication are rarity, workmanship, the technological skill involved in its production, and significance within the society from which it originated.

This book includes over 55 priceless treasures starting with the painted and sculpted treasures of a mysterious culture ‘on the verge of civilisation–– Catal Huyuk in ancient Anatolia (Turkey)––that flourished ca. 7000 BCE, and ending with the treasures that provide a window into the Mayan Society of Central America just before its demise towards the end of tenth century CE.

 

'Cultural Treasures provide a record of our human condition on both a spiritual and human plane. To decipher this record is to know our past and so ourselves. To preserve it is to pass that knowledge on to future generations'. (Miguel Angel Corzo, Director of the Getty Conservation Institute)