Images

This pillar support comes from the Buddhist caves at Xiangtangshan, Hebei Province, China and is shaped like a kneeling demon. It is made of limestone and dates from the era of the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557 CE). (Royal Ontario Museum...

This Chinese bronze mirror with a phoenix motif dates from the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE). The phoenix was the female counterpart to the male dragon in mythology, and it was also a symbol of Chinese empresses. (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto)

This limestone portrait from the Early Ptolemaic Period (323-246 BCE) depicts either Ptolemy I or Ptolemy II of Egypt. Exact provenance is unknown. (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto)

This gazelle mummy dates from the Late Period (664-332 BCE) of ancient Egyptian history. Its exact provenance is unknown. (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto)

This floor mosaic with a donkey standing on a mosaic floor is made of limestone tesserae. It was made in the Eastern Mediterranean, c. 500-600 CE. (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto)

This floor mosaic with the goddess Artemis is made of limestone tesserae and was made in the Eastern Mediterranean, c. 400-500 CE. (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto)

This type of bust was popular in the Near East during the Roman period. It is made of terracotta and is perhaps from what is prsent-day Jordan. It dates from c. 200-300 CE. (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto)

Ancient Egyptian coffin, made of bronze and gilded wood for an ibis, found at Hermopolis, Egypt, Ptolemaic Period (323-30 BCE). Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

A gold solidus coin from the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil I (r. 867-886 CE).

A 13th century CE illustration showing Byzantine emperor Basil I (r. 867-886 CE) confronting Leo VI, his son, murderer and successor. (Madrid Sklitzes, National Library, Madrid)