The Cesnola Collection

The Cesnola Collection of antiquities was assembled on Cyprus in the 1860s and 1870s by Luigi Palma de Cesnola, who sold it to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1872. Cesnola subsequently served as the institution's first director. Numbering around 6,000 objects, the collection documents the artistic traditions and creativity of the island from prehistoric through Roman times. This CD-ROM, the first of a projected multi-part digital series on the Cesnola Collection, focuses on its terracottas: 424 pieces that date from about 2000 B.C. to the 2nd century A.D. Each object is accompanied by a catalogue entry with description, bibliography, and illustration. There are also fifteen commentaries and a glossary, chronology, and maps. Inexpensive, portable, and user-friendly, this CD-ROM introduces the colourful world of ancient life and mythology to an interested public and provides an invaluable tool to students and archaeologists.