Lecture: Beyond the Wine-Dark Sea: Sardis between East and West

Sardis, capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia (present-day western Türkiye), was famous in antiquity for its luxurious textiles, scented cosmetics, fast horses, and gold-bearing sands of the Paktolos River—the legendary source of the Lydian king Croesus’ wealth. Located on one of the main trade routes from the Aegean coast to inland Anatolia, the city was a place of intense cultural interchange between the Lydians and the ancient Greeks. Pottery, sculpture, and architectural works excavated at Sardis in the early twentieth century now feature prominently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Yet, new research on this material as part of the planning for a major upcoming exhibition at the MET, Across Wine-Dark Seas: Art and Identity Beyond Ancient Greece (December 14, 2026-April 11, 2027), helps us to understand in new important ways the dynamic interactions between Greek traders, craftsmen, settlers, and mercenaries and their Mediterranean neighbors. These stories of cultural interaction, migration, and accommodation help us to learn about our present through engagement with the arts of the past.

Sanctuary of Artemis at Sardis with snow, February 6, 1911. Photo: Howard Crosby Butler Archive, Sardis Collection, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University

This lecture is sponsored by the Department of Visual & Performing Arts, and co-sponsored by the Museum.