CHICAGO.- The Field Museum presents Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry: Exquisite Objects from the Cradle of Civilization, on view through July 5, 2009. A rich array of jewelry from the ancient Near East, Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry: Exquisite Objects from the Cradle of Civilization, will be featured in The Field Museum’s new T. Kimball and Nancy N. Brooker Gallery this spring. Since ancient times, jewelry has been worn as adornment, memento, and a sign of status. The exquisite artifacts presented in this exhibition, some more than 7,000 years old, illuminate the culture and customs of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Levant, Persia and the Islamic Middle East.

The Field Museum is pleased to partner once again with the National Jewelry Institute, organizers of Masterpieces of Ancient Jewelry. This prestigious exhibition features artifacts from renowned collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Princeton University Art Museum and the Israel Museum. In addition to the breathtaking jewelry, the exhibition features maps and illustrations that place the jewelry in historical and cultural context.

Additionally, several key pieces from The Field Museum’s collection will be on display complementing the exhibition. The Field Museum’s remarkable collection of 23,000 artifacts from the 5,000-year-old city of Kish, Iraq has been viewed and studied by scholars worldwide. These pieces were excavated between 1923 and 1933 by scientists from both The Field Museum and Oxford University. From at least 3200 BC through the 7th century AD, Kish held an extraordinary position in Mesopotamian history.

This exhibition is free with paid general admission to The Field Museum. Ticket prices can be found online at www.fieldmuseum.org/plan_visit.