Exhibit of Ancient Art to be on Display
at the LBJ Library
"Light From the Age of Augustine"
Will Be Available for Public Viewing
The University of Texas Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins (ISAC) is sponsoring an exhibit called "Light from the Age of Augustine." This exclusive collection of decorative ceramic artifacts from Roman North Africa, on loan from a private donor and Harvard University, represents a rare assemblage of daily wares from the early Christian world.
The exhibit will be open to the public at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library from May 31 to December 31, 2003. The artifacts date from the 4th-6th centuries AD around the time of St. Augustine (354-430), the influential Christian bishop, was making an impact on the region that is now Tunisia.
"St. Augustine is known as one of the key theologians in shaping the cultural transition from Roman and biblical times to the Middle Ages," said Dr. Michael White, ISAC director. "The exhibit's artifacts were handmade in Augustine's own 'neighborhood,' as it were, and feature a wide range of figural decoration, ranging from pagan mythology to biblical scenes and Christian symbols."
The Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins is a research center of the University's Department of Classics and provides much of the curriculum in biblical studies and early Jewish and Christian history in the Religious Studies Program. Its operations have been partially funded by the Foundation for Religious Studies in Texas, a nonprofit organization comprised of religious and community leaders from all major world religions. For more information about the exhibit contact the ISAC offices at 512-232-1438 or on-line at http://www.utexas.edu/research/isac/light/.