HK Museum showcases luxurious lifestyle of ancient civilizations in Middle East

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02:56

A major exhibition in the Hong Kong Museum of History entitled "An Age of Luxury: the Assyrians to Alexander", opened to the public on Wednesday. The exhibition showcases treasures from the British Museum, including metalwork, stone wall reliefs, ivory items, gems and jewelry, depicting the luxurious lifestyle of ancient civilizations in Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Usually, when we think about the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East, we tend to visualize the monumental architectural remains of palaces, gardens and city walls. These places were once alive with the wealthy ruling classes and filled with precious objects.

From 900-300 BC, mighty empires like Assyria, Babylon and Persia created elites that accumulated enormous wealth. They built lavish palaces and pleasure gardens filled with treasures. These luxurious objects not only gave them pleasure, but also displayed their social status and power.

A wall relief that depicts the conquest and looting of an Elamite city by Assyrian soldiers. /CGTN Photo

Highlights of the exhibition include this wall relief depicting the conquest and looting of an Elamite city by Assyrian soldiers, this fish-shaped perfumed oil flask made from a hammered sheet of gold, the kohl bottles and pots, the Hellenistic jewelry item "Herakles knot", and decorative plaques carved in elephant ivory. Re-creations of items are also on display.

“My favorite is that wonderful gold fish. It’s been made with such care. You can see every single scale all the way along the fish’s body. It was made of a single sheet of gold. It was used to collect precious perfumes or oils. Everything’s about luxury,” said Dr. Alexandra Fletcher, curator of the British Museum.

A horn-shaped cup /CGTN Photo

The British Museum has launched the world tour of this blockbuster exhibition in Hong Kong. It will run until September 3. The organizers hope visitors be thrilled by the exhibits, and see the connection between the modern need of material objects and the history of luxury possessions.

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