From Life to Death in the Ancient World

From Life to Death in the Ancient World will feature works from the museum’s world-renowned antiquities collection. More than 120 works will be showcased, including painted pottery, terracottas, marble and bronze sculpture, and a selection of ancient coins, gold jewelry, and glass. Recognizing that many antiquities were first used in life and then deposited in tombs that ensured their survival until the present day, the exhibition explores important events and activities from life to death in ancient Greece, Italy and beyond.

A series of themes from ancient life is covered: music and education; athletics; life by the sea; love, beauty, and adornment; horses; warfare; wine, revelry, and theater. Many of these themes—which reflect strengths of the Tampa collection as well as favorites of ancient artists—overlap with one another, just as many works relate to multiple themes. There is also significant continuity between ancient and modern life, with depictions from classical antiquity of a number of objects and actions that remain easily recognizable today.

Further, the pervasive appearance of numerous immortal gods and goddesses in ancient art and culture indicates how closely they were thought to be involved in the human realm—a major difference from the lives of most people in the present day. Although the names and appearances of these gods and goddesses changed over time and between cultures (so that the Greek Aphrodite gave way to the Roman Venus, Dionysos to Bacchus, and so on), virtually every aspect of ancient life throughout the ancient Mediterranean world fell within the realm of one deity or another. As a result, there was often no clear separation between religious and non-religious life. People used a wide variety of objects as votive offerings to demonstrate their gratitude and devotion to the gods, from birth to burial and beyond.