History of jewelry students engaged in analysis of evidence at the National Museum of Beirut this term. The museum harbors multiple jewelry pieces ranging from the Mesopotamian period in 3000+ BC to the Fatimid period in the 10th C AD.
Students observed transformations across the centuries -in terms of stones and metals used, of designs elaborated and of tools and techniques evident in the workmanship.
One thing they realized is the difficulty of coining what is properly "Lebanese" and what is not. "The people of this land historically mixed and fused between cultures and techniques developed around them," Yasmine Dabbous, class instructor, said. "They were essentially designers and traders. They still are today."
The National Museum of Beirut houses over 100,000 artifacts, several of which are jewelry pieces.
By Majal Design School