Images

A 17th century CE oil painting by Luca Giordano titled 'The Dream of Solomon' depicting the moment God gives the king of Israel his legendary wisdom.

An Etruscan bronze mirror back showing the abduction of Miacuch by Hercules. 500-475 BCE. (British Museum, London)

An Etruscan bronze mirror with an engraved scene depicting the gods Laran (Mars), Turan (Venus) Menrva (Minerva) and Aplu (Apollo) - all indicated by the inscription around the edge. 300-270 BCE. (National Etruscan Museum, Rome)

An Etruscan bronze mirror with an engraved scene depicting a nymph and Silenus. 500 BCE. (National Etruscan Museum, Rome)

The limestone Stela of Shamshi-Adad V. Neo-Assyrian, 815-811 BCE. The king is shown giving a gesture of blessing before five divine symbols: Anu's three-horned crown (top), a winged-disk, disk and crescent, fork, and Ishtar's 8-pointed star...

Fragment of a Neo-Assyrian clay tablet from the Library of Ashurbanipal, part of the Adapa myth, with 21 lines of inscription.

A reconstruction of a typical 6th century BCE Etruscan temple such as the Portonaccio Temple at Veii, central Italy.

A decorative end roof tile in the form of a maenad from the Etruscan Portonaccio Temple at Veii, central Italy. 510 BCE. (National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, Rome)

A bucchero ware box with ram and bull decoration. Etruscan, 4th century BCE. (Museo Gregoriano Etrusco, Vatican Museums, Rome)

A bucchero mixing bowl or krater. Etruscan, 550 BCE. Height: 27 cm. The rim is decorated with six female heads while the main body has lions and sirens. (Metropolitan Museum of art, New York)