More than 2,000 years ago, along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, advanced and sophisticated civilizations developed and thrived. There is something about objects of the classical period that captures the imagination. Each vessel, sculpture or tool tells a story about a civilization that, though now lost to time, continues to influence and inspire that of today.

“Mediterranean Treasures: Selections from the Classics Collection,” a special exhibition opening Oct. 2 the Sam Noble Museum, features 100 of the finest examples of Greek, Etruscan and Roman objects from the museum's permanent collections. Featured are pottery, coins, weapons, cuneiform tablets, glass vessels and mosaics dating from between the 21st century BCE and the 3rd century CE. These objects display the rich artistic and cultural diversity of the ancient Mediterranean region, including Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. The exhibition will be on view through April 17, 2011.

“In developing this exhibit we faced a challenge on how to incorporate a number of different cultures and time periods,” explained Kathryn Barr, exhibit curator and manager of the ethnology collection at the museum. “Ultimately we decided that rather than focusing on the differences between these groups we would highlight their shared technologies. The Mediterranean Sea provided the perfect stage for this exhibit, as it was truly a focal point for the cultures we wanted to highlight. For centuries the region surrounding this body of water has been an area of great diversity, but it has also been an important melting pot as well. Many of the great civilizations of Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East developed along its shores and each one influenced the others.”

Though little seen by the visiting public, the museum boasts a fine classical collection, which now contains more than 900 objects and more than 200 casts and replicas from a wide variety of civilizations. The collection was founded in 1939 when H. Lloyd Stow, former professor of Greek at the University of Oklahoma, and his wife Hester began assembling objects from the ancient Mediterranean for study and exhibition. Over the years this collection has grown through numerous purchases and, more importantly, generous donations from individuals such as Ambassador George C. McGhee and Mark Allen Everett.

“Mediterranean Treasures” is the largest public exhibition ever for this collection, and will feature many objects never before exhibited.