Images

Ixtab was the Maya goddess of suicide who guides suicides to eternal paradise - depicted as the decaying corpse of a woman hanging from a noose in the heavens. This is an artist's impression of Ixtab drawn by Chloe Bonnet.

The Masada (“fortress” in Hebrew) is a mountain complex in Israel in the Judean desert that overlooks the Dead Sea. It was first constructed in the 1st century BCE and renovated by Herod the Great (37-4 BCE).

A modern representation of the Mongol leader Chagatai Khan (1183-1242 CE), the second oldest son of Genghis Khan (r. 1206-1227 CE), who was the first ruler of the Chagatai Khanate. (Mongol palace, Gachuurt, Mongolia)

A 14th century CE illustration showing Hulegu, founder the Ilkhanate (1260-1335 CE). Hulegu reigned as Ilkhan from 1260 to 1265 CE. Seated next to him is his wife Dokuz Kathun. (From an edition of Rashid al-Din Hamadani's 'Compendium of Chronicles'...

A 14th century CE illustration of Ghazan (r. 1295-1304 CE), ruler of the Ilkhanate, studying the Koran. (National Library, Berlin)

A 16th century CE illustration showing the famed Persian astronomer and scientist Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201-1274 CE) in his observatory at Maragha, then part of the Mongol Ilkhanate. (British Library, London)

A silver denarius showing the face of Roman emperor Trajan (r. 98-117 CE)

A silver denarius with Trajan (r. 98-117 CE) on the obverse side. Here on the reverse side, the inscriptions demonstrate the major achievements of the emperor. They read as such: PM-TRP-COSVI-PP-SPQR. These are abbreviations for Pontifex...

Coin of Muhammad Ghori (r. 1173-1206 CE).

Shrine of Muhammad Ghori (r. 1173-1206 CE), Pakistan.