September 21, 2022 — February 19, 2023
The Ritual and Memory exhibition presents rarely seen treasures from the ancient Balkans, including a stela from the Dardana Fortress in Kamenica, now on view in NYC for the first time. We are pleased to invite you to a program featuring a private exhibition tour showcasing archaeological objects used by native inhabitants in celebrations and funerary rites, inviting us to reflect on ancient beliefs and ritual practices across the Balkan region. The Dardana Fortress (Kalaja e Dardanës), located in present-day Kamenica, Kosova, was once a hilltop settlement and stronghold of the Dardani people.
This stela, discovered in Kamenica, Kosova and dating to ca. 500–100 B.C., depicts a funerary procession led by a woman—possibly the deceased’s spouse—followed by a coffin and mourners. Excavated at the Dardana Fortress, it reflects rituals still practiced today in the Albanian communities of Malësia e Gjakovës, Kosova. The female mourners appear to wear garments resembling the xhubleta, an ancient dress tradition linked to the Bronze Age and still preserved in northern Albanian mountain regions, suggesting a remarkable continuity of spiritual and cultural practices from prehistory to the present.
Figurines, tools, weapons, miniature architectural models, gold and amber adornments, and ceramic and bronze vessels were excavated across a region stretching from the Balkan Mountains to the Carpathian Basin. Many of these artifacts were used in rituals or to express community identity. Without written records, scholars rely on the objects and their contexts to understand their role in prehistoric life. Each artifact offers a window into ancient worldviews while raising questions: How did these objects shape cultural practices? Can we recover the memory of these long-silent civilizations?
Ritual and Memory presents works from the Neolithic through the Iron Age, showcasing objects used by men and women, warriors and wives, kings and farmers, in celebrations and funerals. The exhibition invites reflection on beliefs, ritual practices, and community life in ancient Balkan civilizations. These finds reveal advanced technologies and vibrant intercultural connections, highlighting the dynamism of southeastern Europe. Organized by the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World in partnership with the Field Museum, the exhibition brings together contributions from eleven countries and seventeen institutions, offering a unique opportunity to explore fresh perspectives on the ancient world across time and space.
This exhibition is organized in partnership with the Field Museum’s First Kings of Europe project and has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
This program is created in collaboration with the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University (NYU).
NYU’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World
Sept 21, 2022 — Feb 19, 2023
15 East 84th St, New York, 10028
Hours: 11am – 6pm, Fr 11am – 8pm
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays
