July 12–19, 2001

arts picks|art

Secret Syria

Twelve thousand years ago, semi-nomadic peoples stopped wandering and settled in the first established villages in the part of the Middle East called the Fertile Crescent. In the millennia that followed, the area we now know as Syria was home to amazing developments in the arts, math, literature and science. The Riverfront Arts Center in Wilmington brings 385 artifacts from Syria to the U.S., many of which have never before left their native land, for "Syria: Land of Civilizations."

The oldest piece is a 1,000,000-year-old flint hand ax used by our ancestor Homo erectus. Other highlights include ancient jewelry made from lapis lazuli first imported to Syria 6,000 years ago and ceramic works that share the myths of an ancient culture in the pictures drawn onto their faces. Some pieces are enigmatic even to the exhibit’s curators — an 11,000-year-old stone is carved intricately, but its purpose or the reason for its ornateness is unknown. A mystery tool turns into art for the viewer in 2001, who’s given a rare chance to visit ancient rituals and culture without having to go further than Delaware.

—Debra Auspitz

Syria: Land of Civilizations, July 14-Oct. 21, $6-$13.50, First USA Riverfront Arts Center, 800 S. Madison St., Wilmington, DE, 1-888-862-ARTS.