Images

An 18th-century illustration showing the idyllic life of a pirate on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Despite tales of pirate kings living a life of ease on the island, the reality was rather less idyllic with in-fighting between...

A 17th-century illustration of the buccaneer and pirate base of Tortuga, located on the northwest coast of Hispaniola (modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic).

Female terracotta statue from Magna Graecia, made in Medma (modern-day Italy), 480-460 BCE. From the 8th century BCE, the Greeks settled southern Italy (Magna Graecia) and Sicily. Over time, the colonies became independent from their mother...

Plaster mould of a stela found in Sam'al (modern Zincirli, Turkey), dated to 825 BCE. It shows king Kulamuwa alongside a long inscription in Phoenician writing. In his left hand, the king holds a lotus in his left hand and four divine symbols...

Wooden figurine depicting an Egyptian couple (c. 1350-1300 BCE): Sementaoy, servant of the king, and his wife Rouiay, singer of Amon. Underneath the seat of the wife, a pet monkey is eating fruit (not visible in this photo). Louvre Museum...

Female torso, most likely of Nefertiti, made of quartz. Louvre Museum, Paris.

Bust of Habba, daughter of 'Oga, son of Yarhai, shown carrying a child on her left arm. 3rd century CE, Palmyra, modern-day Syria. Louvre Museum, Paris.

Statue of an Egyptian woman bearing offerings, made from painted fig wood, early 12th dynasty (c. 1950 BCE). Louvre Museum, Paris.

Bust of Sa'da, duaghter of 'Aliyat. Palmyra, late 2nd century or early 3rd century CE. Louvre Museum, Paris.

Virgin and Child, polychrome stucco by Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455) or his employees. Made in Florence after a model that may date from 1420-1425. Louvre Museum, Paris.