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Art
Sculpture, temples, painting, mosaics, and design across Greece, Rome, Egypt, and beyond, with styles, techniques, and notable works explained.
Boxer at Rest: What Greek Sport Did to the Body
The Boxer at Rest preserves a Greek athlete’s broken nose, swollen ears and copper-inlaid wounds. Its bronze reveals ancient boxing and Hellenistic art.
Animals on Ancient Greek Vases: Gods, Myths and Meanings
Lions, owls, hares and dolphins appear throughout Greek vase painting. Ancient texts and surviving pottery show how their meanings changed with each scene.
Greek Statues Were Not White: The Lost Colors of Marble
Ancient Greek statues had painted eyes, patterned clothes and metal ornaments. The Peplos Kore, Aphaia archer and Parthenon show how science finds their lost…
Chinese Magic Mirrors: Hidden Images in Han Bronze
How rare Chinese bronze mirrors project hidden images, what Han mirror designs meant, and how Shen Kuo and modern optics explained the effect.
The Parthenon Was Not White: Ancient Athens in Color
The Parthenon had red, blue and green painted details. Pigment studies reveal what survives on its cornices, metopes and sculptures, and what remains uncertain.
Erotic Art in Pompeii: Sex, Protection and Power
From Priapus at the House of the Vettii to brothel frescoes and phallic charms, Pompeii’s erotic art reveals Roman beliefs about protection, wealth and…
Fayum Mummy Portraits: The Faces Buried in Roman Egypt
Fayum mummy portraits were painted for the dead in Roman Egypt. Learn how encaustic, burial customs and new research explain these extraordinary faces.
The Parthenon Was Not White: Ancient Athens in Color
The Parthenon had red, blue and green painted details. Pigment studies reveal what survives on its cornices, metopes and sculptures, and what…
Erotic Art in Pompeii: Sex, Protection and Power
From Priapus at the House of the Vettii to brothel frescoes and phallic charms, Pompeii’s erotic art reveals Roman beliefs about protection,…
Fayum Mummy Portraits: The Faces Buried in Roman Egypt
Fayum mummy portraits were painted for the dead in Roman Egypt. Learn how encaustic, burial customs and new research explain these extraordinary…
