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Remains of a Buddhist Monastery, Sarnath
Remains of a Buddhist monastery around the Dharmarajika Stupa. Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh, India, 3rd century BCE.
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Buddhist Monastery Ruins, Sarnath
Remains of a Buddhist monastery around the Dharmarajika Stupa. The rectangular cells are thought to be rooms where the monks slept. The yellow structure visible in the background is a relatively modern Jain temple. Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh...
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Marine Life in Ancient Mediterranean Art
Throughout the history of the ancient Mediterranean artists were always keen to express their appreciation of the bounty of the sea. Marine life of all kinds, real and imagined, was frequently depicted on frescoes, pottery, mosaics and coins...
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Paleolithic Art
The first non-functional human-made objects that could be clearly classified as art date back to the Upper Paleolithic (c. 50,000 to c. 12,000 years ago) in Europe. Although Upper Paleolithic art is mostly associated with rock art, besides...
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Fragments from a Buddhist Stupa in Afghanistan
This fragment comes from Stupa B23, which used to be located at the Monastery of Bagh-Gai (facing southwest) in Hadda, Aghanistan. It dates from the 3rd-4th centuries CE. (Musée Guimet, Paris)
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Gandhara Civilization
The Gandhara Civilization existed in what is now Northern Pakistan and Afghanistan from the middle of the 1st millennium BCE to the beginning of the 2nd millennium CE. Although multiple major powers ruled over this area during that time...
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Elephants in Hellenistic History & Art
Elephants were thought of as fierce and frightful monsters in antiquity, very real though rarely seen until the Hellenistic period. They were deployed on the battlefield to strike terror into the enemy, however, since fear was considered...
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Korean Buddhist 'Emille' Bell
The large cast-bronze bell known as the Emille Bell at Bongdeoksa, Unified Silla Kingdom, Korea. It was cast in 771 CE to honour King Seongdeok. 3.3 metres tall and over 2.2 metres in diameter, it is decorated with lotus flowers and heavenly...
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A Gallery of Ancient African Art
In this gallery, we look at striking examples of art from across the African continent. In gold, stone and metals, ancient and medieval African artists have not only given us unique pieces of art to admire but their works are also an insight...
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Buddhist Sculptures, Longmen Caves
Two figures carved from the rock face at the Longmen Caves, Fengxian temple near Luoyang, China. Dating to 675 CE the 17.4 metre high figures represent a Buddhist Heavenly King and demon guardian figure.