The adventures of the Argonauts and Odysseus captured in black marble, treasures found at Emperor Hadrian's country palace in Tivoli and some of the most intricate vases ever discovered were among the attractions as Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum re-opened its Greek and Roman Gallery following an 18-month, £950,000 refurbishment.
The world-renowned gallery will focus on the figures behind the objects with new lighting and layout designs, modernising a display which had remained largely unchanged since the 1960s.
Conservators have preserved this large mosaic niche, made in the 2nd century and found near Naples. It would have originally stood against a garden or courtyard
A stone Roman coffin (top of page) weighing nearly a ton is among the more startling exhibits, painstakingly preserved by conservators alongside grave markers, griffin and sphinx heads acting as cauldron lids and tomb decorations, clay masks worn by romantic actors and cups, wine jars and jewellery dated as far back as 740BC.
Gallery technicians cleaning a Roman coffin from the 3rd century, featuring Dionysis, a Greek god, depicted in scenes on the relief panels
Fashioned in "loosely chronological" order, the project enlisted historians and archaeology buffs from the University of Cambridge to draw theories on the stories the show reveals, including further revelations surrounding the drinking parties ancient revellers indulged in and the methods mourners used to remember the dead.
The new design of the Gallery has taken 18 months to complete
One unexpected find came in the form of a local newspaper, coins and signed cement carvings left by former gallery staff behind ancient stone inscriptions in one of the gallery’s false walls. The time capsule had remained unnoticed at the Museum for nearly 50 years.
This image of the Gallery from the 1960s closely reflects the state of the rooms before the building work began, illustrating the impact of the first major refurbishment in decades
A graffiti-style scrawl of a fish, dubbed "the dolphin rock" by staff, is joined by a Roman flick knife – part of a cutlery set also involving a spike for extracting meat from snails and a spatula deployed to yield sauce from narrow-necked bottles.
Expert Christina Rozeik examines an item from the Museum's extensive collection of Greek vases
"The Fitzwilliam's collection of Greek and Roman antiquities is of international significance, so I am delighted that we now have a superbly redesigned space in which to display it to its full potential," said Museum Director Timothy Potts.
"This new presentation, which is based on recent research and conservation work, will offer many fresh insights, not only to new visitors, but also to those who are familiar with the collection."
All pictures © The Fitzwilliam Museum
