For culture-goers, national holidays tend to be stay-at-home-with-the-Paris-Review days more than out-and-about-town days. However, one place that will be open this Canada Day is the Royal Ontario Museum. On July 1, the museum opens four new galleries to the public. Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect:
The Eaton Gallery of Rome
The gist: More than 500 pieces representing 1000 years of history, spanning 900 BC to AD 476.
What to expect: Portrait sculptures, ceramics, tombs, weapons, figurines, mosaics, coins and jewellery (to name a few).
What not to miss: Bratty Exhibit of Etruria — the beautifully crafted terracotta and bronze works tell the history behind Tuscany, which was established by the Etruscans around 800 BC.
The Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Gallery of Byzantium
The gist: Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, which around the time of AD 500 was the trade capital of the world.
What to expect: Detailed and ornate jewellery, church frescoes, glasswork, coins and religious objects.
What not to miss: A limestone ciborium (a canopy for a church’s altar) from AD 500 to 600 — the only surviving Byzantium ciborium from this time.
The Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Gallery of Rome
The gist: The Roman Empire was large — very large — and much of it expanded east, covering areas such as the Syrian-Lebanese coast and the Eastern Mediterranean.
What to expect: Carved tomb reliefs, wall paintings, imperial Roman jewellery, coins, and mosaics.
What not to miss: A limestone floor mosaic that depicts the goddess Artemis.
Galleries of Africa: Nubia
The gist: Nubia, an African region in northern Sudan by Egypt, has a history that dates back to 4500 BC. The majority of pieces in the collection are a result of the ROM’s own archaeological work.
What to expect: Within the display, there are actually four galleries delineating the history of the Nubia, including a gallery on the African empire of Kush; Kush’s capital city Meroe; the end of the empire; and religious change in the area.
What not to miss: Figurines found in the tombs of Napatan kings, which date back to 590 to 560 BC. Called Shawabtis, and borrowed from Egyptian tradition, these figurines would take on any burdens an individual might encounter in the afterlife.