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"La Joyeuse" (French for "The Joyous") was the name given to the sword of Charlemagne (l. 742-814 CE) in Medieval legend. This 9th-10th Century CE sword, popularly identified as "Joyeuse", has been used in French coronation ceremonies from...

The khanda is a type of double-edged straight sword originating in the Gupta Empire c. 320-550 CE. The khanda is used in many forms of Indian martial arts, and its symbolism carries religious and cultural significance. This example has the...

A pair of "antennna swords" made c. 1050-800 BCE during the Hallstatt B Period in Late Bronze Age Europe. Bronze, Hallstatt culture. Found near Lake Neuchâtel, present day Switzerland.

A Roman gladius besides its bronze sheath decorated with tin and gold. Made c. 15 CE and found near Mainz, Germany, from where this style of gladius gets its name. The Mainz gladius was longer and had a more triangular point than the older...

A bronze Assyrian sickle sword that is believed to have belonged to the Assyrian king Adad Nirari I (r. 1307-1275 BCE), made in northern Mesopotamia, c. 13th century BCE. The blade bears the cuneiform inscription: "Palace of Adad-nirari...

A painting of the Graeco-Egyptian god Serapis, wearing his characteristic grain-counter (modius) on his head. Made in Roman Egypt, c. 100-200 CE. Tempera painting on wood panel. 39.1 × 19.1 cm (15 3/8 × 7 1/2 in). The panel is a part of the...

A Celtic warrior statue from Gaul. Bronze with glass inlay, 1st century BCE or 1st century CE. From Saint-Maur-en-Chaussée, Oise, France. (Musée départemental de l'Oise)

The five Roman emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. These were: Augustus (r. 27 BCE - 14 CE) - centre photo Tiberius (r. 14-37 CE) - top left Caligula (r. 37-41 CE) - top right Claudius (r. 41-54 CE) - bottom left Nero...

Statues outside the temple of Abu Simbel, Egypt. Coloured lithograph by Louis Haghe after David Roberts, 1849 CE. Wellcome Collection, London. David Roberts travelled in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly Egypt...

Statues inside the temple of Abu Simbel, Egypt. Coloured lithograph by Louis Haghe after David Roberts, 1849 CE. Wellcome Collection, London. David Roberts travelled in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly Egypt, from...