About the event
What makes something a treasure – age? Rarity? Price? Or simply the fact that someone has loved and kept it?
The word ‘treasure’ appeared in English nearly a thousand years ago. Some of its earliest uses survive in manuscripts now held in the Bodleian. ‘Where thy treasure is, there also thine heart is’, wrote an Oxford translator in the 1380s. At that time, a treasure could mean not only riches, but a treasury: a place where precious things are kept safe and accessible. The Bodleian has served as such a place for centuries.
In this talk, one of the curators of Treasured will share the stories behind some of the library’s most surprising and overlooked collections from Asia and the Middle East. This exhibition reconsiders what a treasure can be through objects from across the world, prompting visitors to reflect on what we ourselves value – and what this reveals about us.
This is an updated repeat of the talk given in June 2025 and will focus on collections within the exhibition, from Asia and the Middle East.
Speakers
Nicholas Kontovas is Nizami Ganjavi Subject Librarian and Curator of the Caucasian & Central Asian Collections at the Bodleian Libraries.
Event information
