Images

The Pantheon of Rome, completed in c. 125 CE under the reign of Hadrian. The exact function of the building in antiquity is not known, no other example is known in Rome of a temple to all the gods (as its name suggests) and it was, therefore...

The abbey of Clonmacnoise, Ireland.

Map of Ireland, c. 900 CE.

Created in the 6th or 7th century CE, this moulded glass jug measures 15.1 x 8.6 x 7.5 cm. This photo shows a stepped cross, representing one constructed at the site of Jesus' crucifixion by Thoedosius II. The relief designs were produced...

Created sometime between 1100-1400 CE, this Byzantine bracelet is made of glass and a silver stain. It measures 7.5 x 1.4 x 0.4 cm. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Crafted sometime between the 6th-8th centuries CE, this bracelet comprises four linked medallions. Decorations include concentric geometric figures (very popular in Byzantine art), along with a woman's face, a fish, a boat and an inscription...

Gold signet ring with fluted loop. The octagonal bezel is engraved with the name Manuel, in Greek. Diameter: 26.5 mm. Length: 11.3 mm. Weight: 13.7 g. (British Museum, London)

Gold bracelet decorated with silver, pearls, amethyst, sapphire, glass, and quartz, 500-700. 3.8 x 8.2 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Two monumental temple-tombs in the ancient city of Imbriogon in Cilicia (modern-day Turkey) dating to the second and third centuries CE. The overall design of the tombs with columns and a standard entablature produces the effect of small...

A Roman invention, the steelyard (or stilyard) balance employed sliding weights along an etched arm to determine the mass of goods, much like the modern beam balance. The Byzantine balance pictured dates from the 5th to 7th centuries CE...