Images

A statue of Confucius, located in Hunan, China on the shore of the Dongting Lake. No contemporary physical likeness exists of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (c. 551 to c. 479 BCE) but he is most often represented as an old man with long...

The Chinese yin and yang are an important element of Chinese philosophy and religion, representing the principle that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites, the correct balance of which creates harmony. They are mutually...

A bronze statue of the Hindu god Vishnu represented as the avatar Kurma, the giant tortoise, 18th-19th century CE. (British Museum, London).

A mummified cat from Egypt, late Ptolemaic Period. (Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, San Jose, California).

A collection of Egyptian Bastets and Sekhmets illustrating the importance of cat iconography in Egyptian culture. (Ashmolian Museum, Oxford).

Many of the buildings in the Roman town of Pompeii, preserved following the burial of the town by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, were covered in electoral notices and graffiti on all manner of subjects.

A Fresco (c. 60 CE) from the Roman town of Pompeii depicting Terentius Neo holding a scroll and his wife who holds a stylus and writing tablet. From the Villa di Guilia Felice. The villas of Pompeii were richly decorated with wall paintings...

A mosaic from the Roman town of Pompeii, buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. Such fine mosaics were a common feature of floors in the villas of the town and depicted scenes from mythology, the owner's business interests or, as...

The theatre of the Roman town of Pompeii was built in the 2nd century BCE and it was extensively renovated c. 79 BCE and repaired following the earthquake of 62 CE. At full capacity the theatre would have seated 5,000 spectators.

A portion of the 2nd century BCE Basilica of the Roman town of Pompeii, the oldest surviving example of such a building from the Roman world. In the Roman world the basilica was used for any large gathering and was the typical location of...