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Legacy of the Middle East
As early as 12,000 years ago, people in the Middle East began to domesticate animals, plant and harvest crops, use metal, make glass, construct monumental buildings, and organize cities and states. Using photographs, drawings, maps, charts, and replicas of artifacts, the exhibit tells the story of the great cultural revolution that began when hunters and gatherers settled down and began farming.
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Exhibit
Panel titles and main texts are printed in both English and Arabic; captions and picture labels are in English.
Panel topics include:
See panel preview
- Modern Saudi Arabia
- Islam and scholarship
- Beginnings of agriculture and herding
- First cities and states
- Development of metallurgy
- Invention of the wheel
- Glass
- Origins of counting and writing
- Invention of the alphabet
Exhibit format
The exhibit is available in two editions; both are freestanding.
Standard Edition: contains 20 panels (10 double-sided units), 26” wide x 38” high, with 175 images and replicas organized behind plexiglas. Panels attach to wooden poles to stand 6’ high.
Shipping weight (3 fiber cases): 205 lbs. 199 lbs.
Floor space required: 18’ x 6’
School Edition: contains 14 panels (7 two-sided units), 24” wide x 36” high, with 120 images organized on various colors of background mats, framed in oak behind plexiglas. Panels attach to wooden poles to stand 68” high.
Shipping weight (2 fiber cases): 140 lbs. 115 lbs.
Floor space required: 14’ x 5’
Supplemental materials
- Video overview in Arabic (23 min.) and English (15 min.), VHS, free with exhibit .
- Audio-cassette, music from the Middle East, performed on traditional instruments. 90 min., free with exhibit.
- Viewer's guide, bilingual booklet with learning activites, 2 copies free with exhibit.
- Teacher's guide, bilingual statement of theme of each panel. 50 copies free with exhibit.
- Catalog, bilingual booklet with learning activities, 2 copies free with exhibit.
- Full color posters featuring 2 ancient images. 3 copies of each free with exhibit.
Available for rental
- VHS videos
- Egypt: The Habit of Civilization
- How Writing Began
- Iraq: The Cradle of Civilization
- Mesopotamia: Return of Eden