The colossal archaic statue of the Daughter of Thera, one of the oldest of large Greek sculpture, which is leaving Greece for the first time, the famous mosaic of Dionysus from Delos and the impressive "Chiotissa" Daughter from the Acropolis Museum are among the 82 works being temporarily sent to Italy as part of "The Moment and Eternity. Between us and the ancients" exhibition, which is hosted in Rome, in a wing of the Baths of Diocletian, which has remained closed since 1911 and opens its doors to the public on May 4.
It is an exhibition of international scope, Proto Thema reported, which was born through the creative collaboration of the Ministries of Culture of Greece and Italy in the context of the close cultural relationship they have developed. Their main goal is to explore the complex relationship between the modern and the ancient.
For this very reason, among the 300 works of the exhibition, ancient and modern objects are included, through which special emphasis is placed on the "communication" of Greek and Roman culture.
Greece participates in the exhibition with works that are exhibited for the first time outside its borders, such as the Maiden from ancient Thera, a statue of the 7th century BC. and Gorgo from Paros, a 6th century BC statue, as well as other masterpieces from Greek museums such as the impressive mosaic of Dionysus from Delos and the "Chiotissa" Kori from the Acropolis Museum.
Touring the different rooms of the exhibition, the visitor encounters, among other things, the cast of two anonymous victims of the eruption of Vesuvius, the bronze statue of the orator and one of the giants of Sardinia from Mont'e Prama, deified human figures as well as recent great discoveries, such as the restored ancient chariot from Civita Giuliana and the statue of Hercules from the Archaeological Park of Appia Antica, the Etruscan vase from the 4th century BC. with a representation from the Trojan War, the new acquisitions, such as the Tabula Chigi from the National Roman Museum which are combined with great exhibits from Greece, such as the imposing archaic Gorgo from Paros, a great work of Parian sculpture, which is on display for the first time outside the Museum of Paros and the large two-faced Palaeologian icon from the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese in Naxos.
The Greek Minister of Culture and Sports Lina Mendoni described the exhibition as "one of the most important international cultural events of the year", expressing the hope that the Greek public will enjoy it soon, emphasising, at the same time, meaningfully, referring to the conclusions that arise from it.
"Through the admiration of the unique works that date from the 3rd millennium BC to this day, we realise that despite the distance in time, we and the ancients have perhaps more in common than differences," Mendoni said.
"We admire the beautiful, we struggle and rejoice in life, we travel and know people and the world, we love, we worry about our loved ones, we try to heal our patients, we mourn our dead with the same feelings, the same hopes, the same fears and - despite technological progress - often with the same means," she added.
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