A very interesting exhibition will be in Athens at the Museum of Cycladic Art, from December 13, 2012 until April 13, 2013, with the title 'Mediterranean Princesses in the Dawn of History.' Regal ladies or princesses, priestesses or healers, women of authority or knowledge, women who stood apart, or who accepted the cultural traits of different societies  through marriage, are examined in this exhibition. Their stories give spectators the chance to perceive how these women contributed to broadening the cultural horizons of their time and were involved in the development of archaic Mediterranean culture.Gold necklace ca 950 B.C. — Photo courtesy of Museum of Cycladic Art

Approximately 24 burial assemblages of women from Greece, Cyprus, Southern Italy and Etruria will be displayed in an attempt to give a Mediterranean dimension to the role of women in the dawn of history. The similarities in burial customs establish a strong ideological connection between countries and civilizations, and it appears that these women were carriers of cultural and social information.

Tiara with bronze and amber elements from Basilicata — Photo courtesy of Museum of Cycladic Art

The collection of artifacts is fascinating as they belonged to real women and provide a tangible, authentic representation in which the human element plays a definitive role and women are the protagonists. The exhibition is organized by the Museum of Cycladic Art with the cooperation of the Ministry of Culture, the Italian Embassy in Greece and the Presidency of the Italian Republic.