Images

Polychrome plate depicting two women exchanging wreaths, the woman on the right grasps the other's chin. Made in Thera, Greece, c. 620 BCE. (Archaeological Museum of Thera)

A relaxed scene from a krater (wine-mixing vessel). Ttwo women listen while a third plays the lyre. Attributed to the Danaë Painter, c. 460 BCE. Attica, Greece. (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

A calyx-krater depicting two women listening while a third woman, who holds two flutes, sings. Attributed to the Niobid Painter. c. 460-450 BCE. From Vulci, Italy. Produced in Attica, Greece.

A black-figure lekythos (oil flask) depicting two women sharing a cloak and gazing at each other. The imagery carries an erotic component, due to the connotations of gazing and cloak-sharing in Greek art. Attributed to the Pharos Painter...

Marble statue group depicting the Athenian tyrant-slayers Harmodius and Aristogeiton. These statues are Roman copies of 5th Century BCE Greek originals. (National Archaeological Museum of Naples)

Red-figure kylix depicting male figures relaxing on a sofa during a symposium. Attributed to the Pistoxenos Painter. c. 480-470 BCE. 24.1 cm (9.5 in). Athens. (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

This erotic fresco from the Suburban Baths at Pompeii depicts two women. 1st century CE.

Detail of the Warren Cup, a Roman silver vessel depicting two same-sex male couples. c. 1st Century CE. Possibly from Battir, Israel. (British Museum)

A red-figure kylix depicting Zeus abducting the youth Ganymede. Attributed to the Penthesilea Painter. Athens, c. 475-425 BCE. National Archaeological Museum, Ferrara.

Red-figure kylix depicting the hero Achilles tending to the wounds of Patroclus, who was wounded by an arrow. Attributed to the Sosias Painter. c. 500 BCE. 32.1 cm (12.2 in) in diameter. Vulci, Italy. (Altes Museum)