Strata: Special Collections

At Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry, visitors can experience more than 130 elaborate pieces of jewelry that showcase the riches and varied cultures of the ancient Near East. These stunning objects, which have been culled from some of the finest collections in the world, were crafted in the royal workshops of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Levant, Persia and the Islamic Middle East, some more than 7,000 years ago. Far more than simple ornamentation, these pieces, which include carnelian and gold necklaces, gold pendants and bejeweled earrings, were valuable signs of status and power, both in life and in death. As a complement to the exhibit, the Field Museum is also featuring its own collection of artifacts from the 5,000-year-old site of Kish in modern Iraq.