In 330 A.D., the Roman Emperor Constantine I, moved the empire's capital from Rome to Constantinople (previously known as Byzantine) located in Asia minor ( Anatolia ). In 395 A.D., the Roman Empire was divided resulting in the birth of the East Roman Empire.
The East Roman Empire expanded and by the 6th century under the reign of Justinianus I its territory stretched from the east coastal area of the Mediterranean Sea and inland, to the Italian peninsula and Slavic countries. The vast empire was now the Byzantine Empire. The art produced under this Christianized state was Byzantine Art. The Byzantine Empire flourished for 1,000 years until its capital Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
 
Byzantine art was based on the convergence of several traditions. Greek art stemming from classical antiquity, along with the traditions of Persia and other indigenous cultures, greatly influenced the formation of Anatolian art. Such traditions were passed on to the Byzantines and were integrated with the essences of Christianity.
Aside from just Byzantine art, the exhibition showed the lineage of art in Anatolia, starting from the introduction of Hellenistic art introduced into the region during the campaigns of Alexander the Great in 4th century B.C., and the Roman art period from 2nd century B.C. during the colonization of Anatolia by the Roman Empire.
The objects that were exhibited had come from all over Anatolia. The exhibit consisted mainly of marble artifacts, with a wide range of styles that offer examples of voluminous and realistic expression embodied in the ancient classical sculptures to the flat and anti-realistic expression of Byzantine art.
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