Images

A detail of the celebrated Athenian black-figure belly amphora (Type A) by Exekias, c. 530 BCE. The central scene depicts Achilles and Ajax playing a board game during a respite in the Trojan War. (Museo Gregoriano Etrusco, The Vatican, Rome...

A polychrome Krater fragment (mid 7th century BCE) depicting the blinding of the Cyclops Polyphemus, one of Odysseus' many adventures on his long voyage home to Ithaka following the Trojan War. (Argos Archaeological Museum, Greece)

An Attic red-figure stamnos, depicting the myth of Odysseus tied to his ship's mast in order to resist the enchanting song of the Sirens. The episode occurs during the hero's long voyage home to Ithaka following the end of the Trojan War...

A detail from the handle of one of the finest surviving examples of Attic black-figure pottery, the Francois Vase (570-565 BCE) depicting Ajax carrying the body of Achilles during the Trojan War. (Archaeological Museum, Florence)

A Qing Dynasty print showing Confucius presenting Gautama Buddha to the philosopher Lao-Tzu.

The François Vase is named after Alessandro François who found the vase in Chiusi in Etruria (central Italy) in 1845 CE. This Athenian volute-krater dates from c. 570-565 BCE and is signed by the potter Ergotimos and the painter Kleitias...

A portrait of Liu Bang who became the Chinese emperor Gao of the Han (Gaozu). Victor in the famous battle of Gaixia in 202 BCE, he founded the Han dynasty which would rule China from 202 BCE to 220 CE.

From the Yang Xin Dian (Hall of Mental Cultivation) in the Forbidden City in Beijing, constructed in 1537 CE. Eight emperors of the Qing Dynasty lived here. The words "Yang Xin" come from the Mencius (a collection of the thoughts of the philosopher...

View of Palmyra with the Temple of Bel, Syria. Palmyra (Aramaic: ܬܕܡܘܪܬܐ‎;Hebrew: תדמור; tiḏmor, Greek: Παλμύρα, Arabic: تدمر‎; Tadmur, /ˌpælˈmaɪərə/) was an ancient city in central Syria. In antiquity, it was an important city located...

Photo of Palmyra's 13th century CE Mamluk castle with ancient ruins in the foreground.