There has been a lot of buzz at the museum lately about a new addition to the galleries, which were finally revealed this week - the Cippi of Malta.
These two pillars are extraordinary objects as the engravings on them hold the secrets to understanding the Phoenician language.
These two pillars (known as cippi) are loans from the Musee du Louvre in Paris, and the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta, Malta. They date to 3rd or 2nd century BCE, and were discovered in Malta at the end of the 17th century.
They were instrumental in deciphering the Phoenician alphabet in 1758 as they contain identical Phoenician and Greek inscriptions. This was done by a French archeologist, and as a thank you Malta presented one of them as a gift to Louis XVI in 1782.
So the cippi have been separated ever since - until now.
In Antiquity cippi like these were used as informative markers, as border demarcations or milestones for example.
It is always refreshing when new artworks arrive in the galleries, and I am especially excited to get the opportunity to present these cippi at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. They are very intriguing, and I am looking forward to get to share their story during my tours.
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