Images

This is a sculpture found in the Konarak Sun Temple, Odisha state, India. It shows a rampant lion standing upon a crouching elephant, the whole sculpture being supported on a pedestal. Though covered with plaster, the original colour of the...

A drawing of a 3rd century CE Sasanian rock relief in Naqsh-e Rustam, Iran. The relief shows on the right Ardashir I (r. 224-241 CE) and on the left the supreme Persian and Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda. The god is giving the king his ring...

A Tower of Silence, Yazd, Iran. These structures are used in Zoroastrianism when the dead are exposed to scavengers.

A few items from the British Crown Jewels. The St. Edward's Crown (1661), the Sovereign's Sceptre with the Cullinan I diamond (1685, diamond added in 1911), the Sovereign's Orb (1661), Queen Mary II's Sceptre with dove (1689) and the Sovereign's...

A c. 1661 portrait by John Michael Wright of Charles II of England (r. 1660-1685) wearing his royal regalia. The orb and sceptre have been used in English/British coronation ceremonies ever since and are part of the British Crown Jewels...

Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, originally constructed in 691-692 CE in the reign of Caliph Abd al-Malik.

Map of the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Coronation Spoon of the British Crown Jewels. The spoon is the only object in the regalia which survives from the 12th century CE. The gold spoon is used for anointing the sovereign during their coronation ceremony. It measures 26.7 cm...

The Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross of the British Crown Jewels. The sceptre was made in 1661 CE and the large stone is the Cullinan I diamond, added in 1911 CE. The diamond weighs 530 carats and is also known as the Star of Africa. The British...

Queen Mary's Crown, part of the British Crown Jewels. The crown was created in 1911 CE. The central stone is the Koh-i-Noor diamond which is now part of the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and which is sometimes removed for Elizabeth...