The BiG Story

Pieces Of The Past

A new exhibit in Ann Arbor brings history to life.

Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor

I

f you were a woman of any

taste, you wouldn't have been

If you've ever seen pic-
tures of ancient mosaics in

curator at the Kelsey
Museum, who could
make even a stone
come alive when she
talks about archaeolo-
gy. She positively loves

Israel, chances are good
they came from Zippori.
Archaeologists unearthed
many mosaics from the
area, as well as pottery,
lamps and coins.
On Family Day, parents
and children will be able
to see many of the Zippori
relics and also experience
life as Jews 2,000 years
ago did by making
mosaics and a clay lamp.
Families also will be able
to a read and illustrate a
terrific coloring book writ-
ten by Bobbie Levine,
Carolyn Lichter, Prudence
Rosenthal and Elise
Weisbach, and illustrated

caught dead, literally, without
your ungeuntarium in 300 CE. It
simply wasn't done.
Unguentaria, of course, were
containers for perfume or cosmet-
ics, many of which were unearthed
in tombs dating from 63 BCE to
363 CE.
You can't imagine what else
archaeologists discovered while
excavating in Zippori (Sepphoris),
the capital of the Galilee in the
third century CE. But you can see it
at an exhibit hosted by the Kelsey
Museum of Archaeology and the
University of Michigan Museum of
Art in Ann Arbor.
"Sepphoris in Galilee:
Crosscurrents of
1i
Culture" runs through
Dec. 14, with a spe-
cial family day, includ-
ing hands-on activities
A Child's Walk
and child-friendly tours,
thr ough Sepphoris
on Sunday Oct. 26.
Zippori lies about half
way between Tiberias
and Nazareth, and
today is an archaeologi-
cal site. But more than
1,700 years ago it was
a thriving city and a
major Jewish community.
Among the residents was
Rabbi Yehuda ha-Nasi,
editor of the Mishnah, a
compilation of the oral
laws covering such subjects
as Jewish marriage and
divorce, the holidays and
agricultural matters.

it.

.c,11 !, t

10/3
1997

70

by Ellen Goldberg. The coloring
book challenges children to use
their imaginations as they wander
throughout the galleries on an
archaeological treasure hunt.
"Find the oil lamp with the bird
perched on its handle," one page
reads. "What would it have been
used for? Where would this lamp
have been kept? Compare the oil
lamp to your bedside table lamp.
How do you make each light
work?"
"Sepphoris in Galilee: Crosscur-
rents of Culture" was coordinated
by Elise Friedland, visiting assistant

Friedland recom-
mends the exhibit for
children 4 and older.
There is no charge.
Schools and communi-
ty groups interested in
"Sepphoris in Galilee"
may rent a traveling
educational kit called \1
"Civilizations in a
Crate" which contains
books, artifact repro-
ductions, audio-visual
materials, games and
puzzles. For informa-
tion about the kits, con,
tact Becky Loomis at
the Kelsey Museum,
(313) 647-0441.
Organized by the
North Carolina
Museum of Art,
"Sepphoris in Galilee"
received major grants from the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's Partnership 2,000, the
Nora Lee and Guy Barron
Foundation, the Wetsman
Foundation, the Chrysler Corp.
—\
Fund and several units of the
University of Michigan.
The Kelsey. Museum is at 434 S.
State Street, and the U-M Museum
of Art is at 525 S. State Street in
Ann Arbor. Both museums are open
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through
Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Thursdays; and noon-5 p.m.
Sundays.