Ancient Art

Parthian female Statuettes Ancient Art

Mysterious Female Nude Statuettes of the Parthian Empire

Several female nude statuettes have been unearthed from the subterranean landscape of ancient Iraq. Rendered in the Greco-Babylonian style, these...

Marga Patterson 24 July 2025

Asian Art

A Luxurious Desire: Ancient Near Eastern Ivory Carvings

The allure of ivory, a lustrous material that gleams and glows when polished, exudes warmth and mysterious beauty. Near Eastern ivory carvings are...

Marga Patterson 24 July 2025

Ancient Art

The Tang Shipwreck—Southeast Asia’s Maritime Heritage

Discovered near the Belitung Island in Indonesia, the Tang Shipwreck is a momentous archaeological discovery of recent times that provides...

Maya M. Tola 18 July 2025

Ancient Art

Have You Ever Seen Ancient Sculptures’ Colors?

We admire the beauty and plasticity of ancient sculptures, how harmoniously they fit into the surrounding landscape. But we rarely ask ourselves the...

Elizaveta Ermakova 18 July 2025

Ancient Greece

Pompeii of the Aegean: Thera Wall Paintings on Santorini

The Thera wall paintings on Santorini reveal the bustling civilization that existed on the southernmost island of the Cyclades circa 1600 BCE. Around...

Anastasia Manioudaki 18 July 2025

Woman with Stylus, 55-79 CE Ancient Rome

Woman with Stylus: What a Portrait Can Tell Us About Women in Ancient Rome

Woman with Stylus is an ancient Roman fresco unearthed in Pompeii nearly two millennia after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. Various details...

Natalia Iacobelli 17 July 2025

Ancient Art

Lifelike Faces of the Dead: Fayum Portraits from Roman Egypt

Though they are often referred to as “Fayum portraits”—taking their title from the location of a region in Egypt where Pharaoh Amenemhat...

Anthony de Feo 17 July 2025

Ancient Greece

6 Ancient Greek Sculptures Everyone Should Know

Greek sculptures have had a profound effect on art throughout the ages. Many of the styles have been reproduced and copied by some of, what...

Zuzanna Stańska 3 July 2025

Yaxchilán Lintel 24, 723-726 CE, Limestone, Temple 23, Yaxchilán, Mexico, British Museum, London, UK. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Yaxchilán Lintel 24

Yaxchilán Lintel 24 is an iconic image of Pre-Columbian art. It easily represents the vitality, mystery, and fascination surrounding the Mayan...

James W Singer 29 June 2025

Muisca Raft, ca 600-1600, gold, Museo del Oro, Bogotá, Colombia. Detail. Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Muisca Raft

The Muisca Raft is a masterpiece of Pre-Columbian art. It was created by the Muisca people who lived in a region of today’s Colombia. Muisca...

James W Singer 29 June 2025

Quiz

QUIZ: Can You Guess This Ancient God?

Ania Kaczynska 28 June 2025

Quiz

QUIZ: What Do You Know About Ancient Mosaics?

Alexandra Kiely 28 June 2025