At the Museums: Rome's Unsung Artisans	Volume 51 Number 2 March/April1998
by Angela M.H. Schuster

A garland sarcophagus made in Alexandria between the third and second centuries A.D., and modern examples of the ancient stone-carving process. (The Newark Museum) [LARGER IMAGE]

The Roman Empire, at its peak in the early centuries of the first millennium, stretched from the Atlantic in the west to the Euphrates in the east. Through its vast trade networks it acquired not only exotic raw materials but also new artistic styles and methods of manufacture as artisans from distant lands began producing luxury goods for a Roman clientele. Artisans of Ancient Rome: Production into Art, an intriguing exhibition of more than 60 works at the Newark Museum, examines the lives of the craftsmen and their patrons.

Click here for ARCHAEOLOGY's list of current exhibitions.

Angela M.H. Schuster is an associate editor of ARCHAEOLOGY.

© 1998 by the Archaeological Institute of America archive.archaeology.org/9803/abstracts/museum.html