This is the first major exhibition to explore the lives of children in ancient Greece, from their roles in the family to their pets, toys, religious rituals, and education. The exhibition is the largest presentation of ancient art at the Getty Center in seven years, it brings together works of art from more than 50 museums and collections.

The lives of ancient Greek children are illustrated in images that have survived on painted ceramics and in sculptures. Images of children at home, with their toys, and at school are familiar to us, but others are unusual. Objects that were actually used by children—such as feeders, toys, jewelry, writing implements, and even potty chairs—provide another rich source of information. We find an immediate connection with many of these objects because of their similarities to our own experiences of childhood.

			In the exhibition's hands-on family area, you can step into a recreation of an ancient Greek home. Practice writing on wax tablets, dress up in Greek clothes, strum ancient instruments, and play with toys.

This exhibition is organized by the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, and supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA).

Publication
Coming of Age in Ancient Greece: Images of Childhood from the Classical Past
By Jenifer Neils and John H. Oakley

Contributions by Katherine W. Hart, Lesley A. Beaumont, Helene Foley, Mark Golden, Jill Korbin, Jeremy Rutter, and H. A. Shapiro. This exhibition catalogue is the first English-language study to examine the imagery and artifacts relating to childhood in ancient Greece. Published by the Yale University Press in association with the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College. (Cloth: $65; paper: $40) Available in the Getty Bookstore or by calling (310) 440-7059.