Images

This wooden door shows Darius I (reigned 521-486 BCE) dressed as pharaoh on the right, making an offering to the Egyptian god Anubis. The goddess Isis stands on the left. The door originally belonged to a box (or naos) used to contain statuettes...

Gold ring with the name of Thutmose III and epithets: "Menkhperra beloved of Ptah beautiful-of-face'. The verso has the Two Ladies name of the king: "Great of Terror in All Lands". The ring was found inside the tomb of Djehuty. From Saqqara...

This is an early example of a Book of the Dead papyrus by the scribe Userhat. The vignette shows the Field of Reeds, the goal of the blessed dead, in which agricultural activities were conducted. From Thebes, Egypt. 18th Dynasty, c. 1450...

A gilded bronze statue of the Phoenician god Reshef. From Byblos. (National Museum of Beirut)

A scene depicting a bird sacrifice, a common practice in the Phoenician religion from the sarcophagus of Ahiram, king of Byblos, 10th century BCE. Beirut National Museum.

This was among the first Achaemenid silver objects discovered in Iran. The light inscriptions are probably ancient marks of ownership. They were found on many other silver bowls. They confirm the comment made about the Persians by the 5th...

This magnificent glass cage cup is is decorated with scenes from the myth of Lycurgus, a king from Thrace. Lycurgus attacked Dionysos, the Greek god of wine, as well as the maenads (Dionysos' female followers) and Ambrosia the nymph. Ambrosia...

The Sutton Hoo helmet from the ship-burial at Sutton Hoo, Mound 1, England, late 500s to early 600. This is one of the only four complete helmets that survive from Anglo-Saxon England. It has been painstakingly reconstructed from the shattered...

This rhyton is one of the most famous pieces of silverware to survive the Persian Empire. The front is in the form of winged griffin wearing a necklace originally inlaid with a semi-precious stone. The top is decorated with palmettes and...

This is one of a pair of golden armlets. These objects are among the most important surviving items from ancient Persian craftsmanship. It is likely that they were intended for display rather than being worn. The lion-griffin terminals were...