Located within western Asia Minor, Sardis acted as a cultural bridge between Asia and Europe.

Gold from the Pactolus stream used to mint the first electrum, gold and silver coins, and trade with peoples to the east and west brought great prosperity to the Lydian kings.

The exhibition is divided into four parts—Brush Strokes, Crisp Lines, Dashed Lines, and Infinite Points—each section serving as a metaphor for the idea that "different modes of representation have been used to convey the topographical, architectural and archaeological history of Sardis over the years."

Brush Strokes: In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, graphic recording of Greek and Roman monuments typically aimed either to provide models that would improve the design and ornament of contemporary architecture, to relate landscape and architecture with historical events, or to evoke through images of ruin and destruction the romance of the past and the sadness of irrevocable loss.

Crisp Lines: In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, recording became more catholic and documented ancient monuments regardless of their perceived artistic merit, historical significance, or dramatic qualities. Many drawings are extremely precise, showing assemblage details, technical features, and damaged parts that have potential value for understanding history and use as archaeological methods became more systematic and scientific.

Dashed Lines: Reconstruction drawings can show helpfully and vividly how ruined buildings once looked; they can be equally instructive in clarifying how such buildings could not have looked, and in revealing the biases of archaeologists and the limitations of information available to the artist.

Infinite Points: Much architectural and topographical evidence has become accessible only in the late twentieth century, with the computer, electronic transits, and global positioning system (GPS) equipment, which are dramatically changing the graphic recording of Sardis, and opening a new window on its complex urban history.