Stunning and beautiful tunics from the Andes Mountains are currently display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY. For thousands of years, talented weavers in the Andes have been the creators of some of the world’s finest tunics, coats, and blankets. Fortunately for us, the dry climate of the Andes has helped preserve many of them for posterity. The items showcased have come from a variety of museums–the Textile Museum in Washington D.C., the Cleveland Museum of Art, in addition to several private collections and the Met’s own collection. Be sure not to miss it! “The Andean Tunic, 400 B.C.E.–1800 C.E” continues through Sept. 18 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Please read the New York Times‘ review of the exhibition by clicking here.

For our readers “Down Under,” please note that a fantastic exhibition is in your country for the very first time. The Melbourne Museum and National Geographic are sponsoring “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” in Melbourne, Australia. This has already drawn over seven million visitors in the United States and Europe in the past five years, and now begins its tour of Oceania. This is the first visit of King Tutankhamun’s treasures to Australia to date. Tickets will be available to purchase from April 8 to July, 17 2011.

The study of ancient warfare is a broad and well established subject that stretches across a range of disciplines. However, persistent controversies regarding interpretations of and approaches to the subject matter remain. In light of this and in celebration of the recent 2,500 year anniversary of the battle of Marathon, the UCD Schools of Archaeology and Classics will be co-hosting a two-day interdisciplinary conference entitled “Warfare in Antiquity: Approaches and Controversies”.

Nubia: Ancient Kingdoms of Africa, an exhibition at New York University’s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, takes the visitor deep into the heart of one of Africa’s most mysterious and fascinating ancient kingdoms. Showcasing over a hundred objects and works of craftsmanship, this is the first major Nubian exhibition in the United States in recent decades. The show continues through June 12 at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University (15 East 84th Street, Manhattan). In order to read the New York Times‘ recent review of the exhibition, please click here.

Roads of Arabia is the first major exhibition of ancient objects, jewelery, art, and goods from the Arabia Peninsula –specifically, Saudi Arabia. It will be on international tour until 2013, visiting Paris, Barcelona, St. Petersburg, Berlin, and Chicago along the way. Writing in the Parisian daily Le Figaro, Eric Biétry-Rivierre marveled at the discovery of “a brilliant and prosperous past, almost completely unknown in our latitudes.” International Herald Tribune art critic Souren Melikian remarked that “the revelations to be found in hundreds of artifacts never before seen outside Saudi Arabia are startling.” This groundbreaking exhibition sheds light on an interesting corner of the ancient world long overlooked, but interconnected with India, the Greco-Roman Mediterranean, China, Egypt, and Nubia. For more information, please visit the link above to read Richard Corvington’s review of the exhibition in current edition of Saudi Aramco Magazine (March-April 20011). 

We have another new feature: Book recommendations! Now you can recommend books on every subject on the site. Recommended books will always display with the related books at the bottom, and are specially highlighted. You can also leave a review (which isn’t displayed yet, but will be soon). I’m looking forward to all your recommendations!