Sicily: Culture and Conquest | SC Exhibitions
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| Quadrilingual tombstone. A tombstone in four languages, Marble, Palermo, Sicily, 1149 AD. Soprintendenza di Palermo © Regione Siciliana. |
In AD 1149, a
Christian priest in Sicily erected a tombstone for his deceased mother. To many
from the outside world, and even many living today, its inscription would come
as a surprise. It was written in four languages: Judeo-Arabic, Latin, Greek and
Arabic. Even more intriguingly, the date of his mother's death was given
according to the calendar of each faith represented. To Jewish readers, she
died in the year 4909. To Muslim readers, it was 544.
This tombstone is a
symbol of the multiculturalism that flourished in Sicily after the coronation
of King Roger II in AD 1105. Roger encouraged people from all over the world to
settle in his kingdom. Jews, Muslims, Orthodox Greek Byzantines, and Christian
Normans and Italians all shared this same small island, working together to
advance our understanding of the world, art and architecture.
You can see this
tombstone in the exhibition "Sicily: Culture and Conquest" at the
British Museum. Featuring over 200 objects, created between 2200 BC and AD
1250, the exhibition primarily focuses on the Greeks in Sicily from 734 BC, and
the reign of King Roger II from AD 1105. Throughout, it highlights Sicily's
central place in the Mediterranean world. This is neatly emphasized right after
you enter the exhibition space, where at the centre of a map, the island is
encircled by Europe, Asia and North Africa.