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February 9, 2024
MoAW
presents
PALEO:
The Story of Life
Palaeoscorpius devonicus
The History of the First Creature to Leave the Water
to Walk on Dry Land
On display exclusively at the Museum of Ancient Wonders
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The Emperor Scorpion, Africa
THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PALEOZOIC ERA
from 570 million to 345 million years ago
Known as the Cambrian explosion, about 570 million years ago dense populations of complex sea creatures suddenly appeared, marking the beginning of the Cambrian period and of the Paleozoic era. First discovered in northern Wales (once known as Cambria), fossils of this period document the early establishment of all modern animal phyla, followed by the emergence of primitive, jawless fish in the Ordovician (500 million years ago), named for an ancient Celtic tribe of western Wales, the Ordovices, whose farms were built on rocks rich in fossils.
Following the Ordovician, rich formations found along the border of Wales and England derive their name from the savage tribe of Silures that inhabited the region during the Roman occupation. Throughout the Silurian (435 million years ago), plants and insects invaded the land. In the Devonian (395 million years ago), characterized by fossils first discovered in Devon, England, advanced lobe-finned fish and tetrapod amphibians appeared in the freshwater streams of the newly formed Old Red Sandstone Continent which united Greenland with Europe and North America. At the close of both the Ordovician and Devonian periods, Gondwanaland drifted over the south pole, triggering the onset of glacial episodes accompanied by mass extinctions of marine life.
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Phylum Arthropoda,
Class Erypterida
Eurypterus remipes
Eurypterus lacustris
Pterygotus macrophthalmus
Late Silurian, New York
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Widespread throughout the Paleozoic Era, these giant water scorpions were particularly abundant during the Silurian Period (465 to 415 million years ago) when they ranged from marine environments to brackish streams and estuaries. The sharp telson, or tailspike of Eurypterus (“Wing Fin”), primarily useful for correcting its position when stranded upside down on the seafloor, may have been armed with a venomous stinger. Two individuals of one species and a smaller individual of another species are dramatically preserved together with yet another species of eurypterid prominent at the bottom of the slab. Armed with pincers and a spiked fantail Pterygotus was a ferocious predator. Numerous fossilized trilobites bear scars left by the fearsome pincers of such creatures.
Descended from trilobites (whose enormous populations they helped to decrease), these impressive invertebrates possessed an elongated, segmented body and were equipped with a pair of compound eyes as well as a pair of simple ones. Sometimes growing to lengths of as much as 10 feet these early arthropods were the direct antecedents of the first creatures to leave the aquatic environment to inhabit dry land: the scorpions. Private collection.
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Phylum Arthropoda,
Class Arachnida
Palaeoscorpius devonicus
Late Devonian, Germany
Among the very first creatures to abandon the aquatic environment and invade the land, an event that took place during the Late Silurian were the scorpions. Derived from eurypterids, the earliest true scorpions were marine creatures. Pressured by the rise of predatory fishes and eurypterids, the appearance of amphibious scorpions, capable of surviving in a terrestrial environment for limited visits, presumably led to the establishment of completely terrestrial, air-breathing varieties.
Related to spiders, these ferocious predatory arachnids possess a venomous stinger on the tip of the tail, with which they are capable of disabling their prey. Unlike the tiny, primitive Silurian scorpions, the amphibious Devonian forms were adapted to feeding out of water. External digestion, or liquid feeding, is not possible in an aquatic environment, where ingestion of solid food is necessary. The Devonian scorpions exhibit a definite landward trend along the deltas and intertidal estuaries of central Europe with the sole exception of Palaeoscorpius, a formidably large example known exclusively from deep marine deposits. From the University of Bonn.
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Sleeping Hermaphroditus
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
(7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680)
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Announcing the Future
LGBTQ+ World History Museum
In association with the
Museum of Ancient Wonders
presents
BCE to LGBTQ+
Out of the darkness, into the light.
10,000 Years of LGBTQ+ History
In one exhibition, BCE to LGBTQ+ dramatically illustrates a vast and universal depiction of LGBTQ+ history, from the mythological to the rulers, warriors, artists, scientists, entertainers, and activists who have contributed to civilization, from ancient epochs and periods to modern society, experienced in a geographical, chronological timeline.
Encompassing 10,000 years, from Mediterranean rock art of 9,600 years ago to ancient Africa, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and on to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Early, Middle, and Late civilization, with a gender-diverse history presented in a global perspective.
This unprecedented exhibition allows visitors to explore and appreciate the human history of LGBTQ+ experiences, contributions, tribulations, and triumphs throughout the millennia to the 21st Century. An immersive experience, BCE to LGBTQ+, Out of the Darkness, Into the Light is a vivid history of humankind’s natural diversity, adaptation, and resilience to thrive.
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Plato, the Greek Philosopher
428 - 347 BCE, The Academy of Athens, Greece
GREECE
Ancient Greek culture did not generally acknowledge that people had individual sexualities in the modern sense. Instead, same-sex love of certain kinds were part of each person’s sexuality. Some kinds of same-sex relations were seen positively, others negatively. Relations between adult citizen men and younger men were particularly central to Greek culture and were seen as pedagogical: the adult man’s role was to serve as a role model for the virtues and values prized by Greek culture in a man, mainly courage and prudence. These relations are an important theme in Greek art: this is most explicit in vase painting, where scenes of male-male courtship are a common theme, but the ethos of this kind of love often underlies nude male sculptures as well. It is also a key theme in literature, particularly in poetry, comedy, and philosophy (though also present in tragedy and history). Many important ancient Greeks engaged in these relations. One example is the tragedian Sophocles, the writer of Oedipus the King and Antigone. They also play an important role in the ideas of Socrates, the founder of philosophy, and his follower Plato. Socrates (as represented by Plato in works like the Symposium and the Phaedrus) argues that these relations are superior to heterosexual relations, as heterosexual relations concern (in his view) only bodily reproduction, while these homosexual relations concern the reproduction of ideas. - Andrew Lear
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Professor Andrew Lear combines a love of travel with a passion for gay history, and he brings both of those attributes to Oscar Wilde Tours.
Professor Lear holds a B.A. from Harvard and a Ph.D. from UCLA. He has published a widely praised book on male-male love in ancient Greek art, as well as a number of important scholarly articles in this area. Indeed he is generally considered one of the foremost experts on same-sex love in the ancient world, but his interest in gay history extends to other key periods, such as fin-de-siècle England, Renaissance Italy, and medieval Japan—places and periods that we will explore at Oscar Wilde Tours.
A beloved teacher at Harvard, Columbia, and NYU, Professor Lear won the Harvard Certificate for Excellence in Teaching four times. He has taught a wide variety of courses in Classics, history, art history, and gender studies—as well as Italian and French language classes.
His courses on sexuality in the ancient world have been particularly popular. Many years after graduating, students still take the time to let him know how much they appreciate his personal warmth, his passion for teaching, and the sense of fun that he brings to his classes.
Professor Lear brings all those qualities to Oscar Wilde Tours, along with twenty years of experience organizing and leading group tours. With his vast cultural background, his detailed knowledge of gay history, and his long experience of travel, Professor Lear strives to provide our guests with a vacation that is intellectually stimulating, culturally rewarding, and, above all, fun!
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FREE ADMISSION TO CATHEDRAL CITY RESIDENTS
The Museum of Ancient Wonders (MoAW) is proud to offer free admission to all Cathedral City residents from November 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024, through the City’s Community Assistance Grant Program. The museum is located at 69028-B E Palm Canyon Dr, Cathedral City, CA 92234.
Cathedral City residents are invited to discover the Valley’s newest museum where they will find world-class exhibitions on display with a focus on prehistoric life and ancient civilizations to enhance universal curriculum development for local and surrounding school districts while providing museum diversity for residents and tourists alike.
Please bring proof of residency and fill out a survey before you leave to achieve free admission.
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CURRENT EXHIBTIONS ON DISPLAY |  | |
BEHIND THE MASK:
Ancient African Traditions and Mysticism
From the continent of Africa, thirty-seven ancient masks and sculptures dating from 2,000 years ago until the mid-1800s, representing 12 Central African countries and 27 indigenous communities are presented in the Museum of Ancient Wonders Behind the Mask: Ancient African Traditions and Mysticism, a very special gift from Heather James Fine Art Gallery, Palm Desert.
From a Nok terracotta head of 100 C.E. (Current Era) to the beginning of the 19th Century, this diverse collection of masks and sculptures from antiquity celebrates the tradition of ritual and mysticism from time immemorial. These once-used sacred and revered objects are honored and beloved in addition to being a feared and dangerous entity.
For the people of ancient civilization, masks and sculptures represented the invisible force of nature assigned to them, which may be the spirit of a wise ancestor, a tutelary deity, or any embodiment of supernatural power from the animal kingdom. Used to commemorate the events in their lives, whoever wears a mask combines and unites their strength with the spirit, enhancing value and heightening power, creating a mystical empyreal bond between the past and present, the honored living and the sacred dead. Together for the first time, and a permanent addition to MoAW's inventory of exhibitions, this stunning collection is currently on view exclusively at the Museum of Ancient Wonders.
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ALL UNDER HEAVEN
Earth, Heaven,
and the Afterlife
A Very Special Gift From
Marlene and Bruce Kanter,
Heather James Fine Art
Tim Walsh
Michael H. Healy
Tianxia (天下) or, All Under Heaven, is the ideal of a perfect and harmonious empire in the eyes of the people.
50 original antiquities spanning millennia (3,600 B.C.E. to 1920s C.E.) of ancient Asian cultures, from mysterious funerary objects and life-size protective temple guardians to delicate terracotta sculptures created for the tombs of the deceased. A tapestry of silk and gold thread, a rare lacquered cosmetic box, earthen vessels, and bronze statues, these ancient treasures from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, celebrate the ancient world.
This grand collection of 50 Asian antiquities is divided into three sections: Earthly possessions, objects used by the living, the temple icons of Buddha and Shiva (Heaven), and funerary goods, objects found in the tombs of the elite (the Afterlife). MoAW premieres these dazzling artifacts for the first time together in one exhibition All Under Heaven: Earth, Heaven, and the Afterlife.
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PALEO: The Story of Life
4.6 billion years of fossil history
Drawn from the world’s foremost fossil collections, the unprecedented treasury of fossil casts known as PALEO: The Story of Life brings together in one exhibition some of the most exciting finds in the history of paleontology and paleoanthropology from over a century of worldwide excavations, exhibited in geological, chronological order.
From 2.5 billion-year-old single cellular cyanobacteria responsible for the oxygenation of the atmosphere to the first multicellular life 700 million years ago, PALEO: The Story of Life spans 4.6 billion years in scope. From the Precambrian, and Cambrian Eras, to the Paleozoic Era, from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods of the Mesozoic Era to mammals and prehistoric humans of the Cenozoic Era (including the famous Lucy skeleton), this internationally acclaimed, comprehensive collection dramatically illustrates the awesome progression of prehistoric life on Earth.
Displaying casts of rare fossils from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, this prestigious collection includes skeletons, skulls, claws, and eggs gathered from such revered museums as the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, The Royal Ontario Museum, the Carnegie Museum, and the National Museums of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, as well as many others.
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THE CRAB NEBULA (M1) IN TAURUS.
Photographed with the 26-inch Crossley Reflector at Lick Observatory. Copyright Regents, University of California. Lick Observatory photograph.
STARSCAPE:
A Journey To The
Beginning of Time
This spectacular collection of 33 space photographs combines breathtaking digitalized images from the historic Mariner, Viking, and Voyager probes with stunning photographs from the Apollo lunar missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories. Gathered from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology, the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the Hansen Planetarium, this awesome display of cosmic spectacles is a journey to the early days of the cosmos.
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photo: Steven Salisbury
LUCY:
(Australopithecus afarensis)
The Story of Human Origins
(Courtesy of the Institute of Human Origins and
the National Museum of Ethiopia,
Addis Ababa)
On view exclusively at the
Museum of Ancient Wonders
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TUTANKHAMUN
"Wonderful Things"
Treasures From The Pharaoh's Tomb
2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. To share in the commemoration, MoAW's "Wonderful Things" exhibition is on a nationwide tour. Click on the link below to see the installation on the banks of the Sacramento River at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding CA.
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Please Become A Member of MoAW
by contributing to our efforts
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR ALL SEASONS
The newest perk of membership: Free admission to more than 1,200 museums nationwide through the North American Reciprocal Museum Program (NARM) Plus, discounts at their museum shops and restaurants (if given to their members). Local museums include the Palm Springs Art Museum and Cabot's Pueblo Museum, several museums in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, throughout California, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, including Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. This is available to all members at the Donor Level ($125.00) or higher. Members who qualify will be receiving new membership cards with the NARM logo to be used at participating museums.
Current members who would like to upgrade their membership to take advantage of this new benefit please give us a call at (442) 268-5004.
Click below for more information and to join.
THANK YOU
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MoAW's mission is to educate a diverse audience about the history of ancient civilizations and prehistoric life using fossils and artifacts from a variety of cultures and time periods; to enhance universal curriculum development for local and surrounding school districts, colleges, and universities, establishing museum diversity for the Coachella Valley.
Hours of Operation
Monday through Saturday - 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday - 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
The last admission is taken one hour before closing.
Admission:
$15.00 Adults
$12.00 Students, Seniors, & Military
$10.00 Group Rate for 10 or more individuals.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MoAW is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, the American Alliance of Museums, and the California Association of Museums. Contributions are tax-deductible and gratefully accepted.
MoAW IS SPONSORED WITH FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
BY THE FOLLOWING:
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Alberto Acosta, Executive Director & Chief Curator
Joseph McCabe, Director of Development
Art Laboe Foundation, Inc.
A beloved resident of Palm Springs, Art Laboe was an American disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner. He was generally credited with coining the term "Oldies but Goodies".
Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation
The mission of the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation
is to support Arts & Culture, Youth, Educational, Medical and,
Social Servies, and Community activities that enhance the quality of life.
Municipalities & Societies
City of Cathedral City
Cathedral City Historical Society
City of Rancho Mirage
Members and Patrons
Greg & DeeDee Barton
Geoffrey Gray-Lee
Townsend Public Affairs
Christopher Townsend
Niccolo De Luca
Anastasia Heaton
Heather James Fine Art, Palm Desert
Marlene and Bruce Kanter
Tim Walsh
Mike Healy
Bjorn Kielman
Lynne Tucker
Zachary Weingart
Karen Speros
Nancy Dobrozdravic
Mary Madison
Carla San Miguel, CSM Traducciones
Margie St. Anthony
Skot Jones
Dean Keefer
Leo Stevens
David Garcia, ARSVIDA.com
Barbara Kerr
Steven Biller
Joe Smith
Kip Serafin
Sandie Newton
Sarah and Malcolm Beresford
Corky and Barbara Goss
KESQ Eye On The Desert
Tarek & Mohamed Ragab, the Egyptian Art Center
Marty Martin, CEO of Origins Institute, Inc.
Scott Robertson & Staff, New Leaf Caterers, Cathedral City
Willie Rhine & Albert Gonzales, 849 Restaurant, Palm Springs
Jack and Sandra Rivers, Canyon Printing, Cathedral City
Gamma Mu
THANK YOU
Founding Financial Partners Include:
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