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Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. Lecture 2 in a four-part series — The Sogdians, an eastern Iranian people who lived in the central part of modern Uzbekistan and neighboring areas of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in the Late Antique and early Medieval periods (4th to 10th centuries CE), produced a culture that made a deep impact on the history of Eurasia. In the last decades, the study of the Sogdians has developed greatly in many countries, and the recent launch of a Sogdian digital exhibition at the Freer|Sackler Gallery marks a new phase of interest in the Sogdians. Archaeological remains and excavated documents tell us the multifaceted story of a society of landlords, merchants, craftsmen, and brave knights—and also of women and their rights and opinions. This is also a story that lacks imperial ambition, but shows religious pluralism in vibrant cities and the life in diasporas, most famously documented in the inclusion of Sogdian merchants in Chinese society, thus contradicting the common opinion of xenophobia of the Celestial Empire. The Sogdians produced outstanding work of visual art, combining intricate ornamental decorations with the rich narrative of epics, tales, and fables.

Please Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. Join us in the galleries for a 20-minute in-depth discussion of a single object from A Wonder to Behold: Craftsmanship and the Creation of Babylon’s Ishtar Gate. In this brief lunchtime talk, participants will engage in a guided conversation exploring the specific history, iconography, and manufacture of one of the objects on view in our current exhibition.

Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. The Sed Festival is one of the most frequently depicted royal iconographic motifs in the decorative relief programs of ancient Egypt's numerous temples and royal precincts. Upon taking the throne, each Egyptian ruler hoped to celebrate not one, but many Sed Festivals—both in life and in the perpetually renewed state of existence the ruler hoped to achieve after his death. While previous studies of the Sed Festival have mostly ignored early evidence for the festival prior to the political unification of the Egyptian state at the end of the 4th millennium BCE, careful analysis of Predynastic and Protodynastic iconography suggests that, as early as Naqada I, local Upper Egyptian rulers celebrated rituals that later formed part of the celebration of the Sed Festival.

Please Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. Part of our Free Friday Evening Exhibition tour series. Join us in the galleries for an in-depth discussion of the exhibition A Wonder to Behold: Craftsmanship and the Creation of Babylon’s Ishtar Gate. In this tour, participants will engage in a guided conversation exploring the specific history, iconography, and transformative power of ancient Near Eastern craftsmanship as it relates to the creation of Babylon's Ishtar Gate and Processional Way.

Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. Lecture 3 in a four-part series — The Sogdians, an eastern Iranian people who lived in the central part of modern Uzbekistan and neighboring areas of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in the Late Antique and early Medieval periods (4th to 10th centuries CE), produced a culture that made a deep impact on the history of Eurasia. In the last decades, the study of the Sogdians has developed greatly in many countries, and the recent launch of a Sogdian digital exhibition at the Freer|Sackler Gallery marks a new phase of interest in the Sogdians. Archaeological remains and excavated documents tell us the multifaceted story of a society of landlords, merchants, craftsmen, and brave knights—and also of women and their rights and opinions. This is also a story that lacks imperial ambition, but shows religious pluralism in vibrant cities and the life in diasporas, most famously documented in the inclusion of Sogdian merchants in Chinese society, thus contradicting the common opinion of xenophobia of the Celestial Empire. The Sogdians produced outstanding work of visual art, combining intricate ornamental decorations with the rich narrative of epics, tales, and fables.

Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. Lecture 4 in a four-part series — The Sogdians, an eastern Iranian people who lived in the central part of modern Uzbekistan and neighboring areas of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in the Late Antique and early Medieval periods (4th to 10th centuries CE), produced a culture that made a deep impact on the history of Eurasia. In the last decades, the study of the Sogdians has developed greatly in many countries, and the recent launch of a Sogdian digital exhibition at the Freer|Sackler Gallery marks a new phase of interest in the Sogdians. Archaeological remains and excavated documents tell us the multifaceted story of a society of landlords, merchants, craftsmen, and brave knights—and also of women and their rights and opinions. This is also a story that lacks imperial ambition, but shows religious pluralism in vibrant cities and the life in diasporas, most famously documented in the inclusion of Sogdian merchants in Chinese society, thus contradicting the common opinion of xenophobia of the Celestial Empire. The Sogdians produced outstanding work of visual art, combining intricate ornamental decorations with the rich narrative of epics, tales, and fables.

Please Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. Join us in the galleries for a 20-minute in-depth discussion of a single object from A Wonder to Behold: Craftsmanship and the Creation of Babylon’s Ishtar Gate. In this brief lunchtime talk, participants will engage in a guided conversation exploring the specific history, iconography, and manufacture of one of the objects on view in our current exhibition.

Please Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. Part of our Free Friday Evening Exhibition tour series. Join us in the galleries for an in-depth discussion of the exhibition A Wonder to Behold: Craftsmanship and the Creation of Babylon’s Ishtar Gate. In this tour, participants will engage in a guided conversation exploring the specific history, iconography, and transformative power of ancient Near Eastern craftsmanship as it relates to the creation of Babylon's Ishtar Gate and Processional Way.

Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Please Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. Join us in the galleries for a 20-minute in-depth discussion of a single object from A Wonder to Behold: Craftsmanship and the Creation of Babylon’s Ishtar Gate. In this brief lunchtime talk, participants will engage in a guided conversation exploring the specific history, iconography, and manufacture of one of the objects on view in our current exhibition.

Please Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience. Part of our Free Friday Evening Exhibition tour series. Join us in the galleries for an in-depth discussion of the exhibition A Wonder to Behold: Craftsmanship and the Creation of Babylon’s Ishtar Gate. In this tour, participants will engage in a guided conversation exploring the specific history, iconography, and transformative power of ancient Near Eastern craftsmanship as it relates to the creation of Babylon's Ishtar Gate and Processional Way.

Please Note: This event has been CANCELLED. We apologize for any inconvenience.