Images

The altar and nave of Saint Hripsime Church in Etchmiadzin (Vagharshapat), Armenia. The church dates from the early 7th century CE, and it is one of the finest and most complicated of medieval Armenian churches.

Saint Hripsime Church was built in Etchmiadzin (Vagharshapat), Armenia on the orders of Catholicos Komitas I Aghtsetsi (r. 615–628) and dedicated to Saint Hripsime (d. c. 290 CE) who was one of Armenia's first Christian martyrs. The site...

Saint Hripsime Church, located in what is present-day Etchmiadzin, Armenia, is believed to have been built around 618 CE. However, there is still debate among scholars as to when the domes were completed or even restored. Some scholars believe...

This is the tomb of Saint Hripsime at the Saint Hripsime Church in Etchmiadzin (Vagharshapat), Armenia. According to Armenian traditions, Saint Hripsime (d. c. 290 CE) was one of the first Christian martyrs in Armenia. She was of Roman origin...

Built in 618 CE, the Saint Hripsime Church is one of the oldest churches in what is present-day Etchmiadzin, Armenia. In 2000, the church became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint Hripsime Church is characterized by a domed tetraconch (enclosed...

A storage jar with the three-colour glaze typical of ceramics made during China's Tang dynasty. 8th century CE. (British Museum, London)

A detail of Chinese artist Ma Yuan's "On a Mountain Path in Spring". 1190-1225 CE. Ink and colour on silk. (National Museum, Taipei, Taiwan).

A bronze vessel (zun) with the form of a double-ram. Shang Dynasty, 1200-1050 BCE, China. (British Museum, London)

A statue of the Roman Emperor "Constantine the Great" who reigned from approximately 306 to 337 CE.

Zorats Karer in present-day Armenia is a prehistoric site, teeming with burials and standing stones (or "menhirs"). In total, there are 223 stones on the site.