Images

Marble statue of Isis, found at Hadrian's Villa (117-138 CE). The goddess holds a situla and sistrum, ritual implements used in her worship. (Capitoline Museums, Rome)

Marble head of the poetess Sappho, from Smyrna (Izmir, Turkey). Roman copy of a portrait type belonging to the Hellenistic period. (Istanbul Archaeology Museum)

The Harpy tomb and the pillared sarcophagus, two monumental Lycian tombs from Xanthos (Lycia, Turkey). The Harpy tomb (left) dates to approximately 480–470 BCE whilst the pillared sarcophagus (right) dates to the 4th century BCE.

The Pantheon is the best preserved building from ancient Rome and was completed in circa 125 CE in the reign of Hadrian.

The remains of the Augusteum at Narona (modern Vid, Croatia) with its fifteen marble sculptures exhibited on a platform. An Augusteum was a site of imperial cult, named after the imperial title of Augustus. The Augusteum at Narona seems to...

Hellenistic mosaic floor panel depicting an Alexandrine parakeet from Pergamon (modern Turkey), 2nd century BCE (Pergamon Museum).

This statue depicts Hadrian nude, in the guise of Mars, the god of war. The statue shows characteristics of early versions of Hadrian’s portrait type, indicating that it was sculpted at the beginning of Hadrian’s reign, between 117 and 125...

The Torreon (or Observatory) at Machu Picchu, Peru, c. 1450 CE. The tower is a rare example of curved Inca architecture. The tower, as is typical of Inca architecture, incorporates natural features into its design. Below the structure a room...

Examples of the kallanka buildings at Machu Picchu which were used for administrative purposes. They were built using finely carved granite blocks which were carefully fitted together and then finished to give a smooth surface. There are...

The Intihuatana Stone or 'Hitching Post of the Sun' at Machu Picchu in the High Andes. The stone was used by Inca priests for astronomical observations, especially of the sun. In ceremonies during the solstices the priests symbollically tied...