- An Egyptian Boat of 6000 B. C.
This drawing was made from what is probably the most ancient known record of a ship. The high bow and stern seem somewhat overdone, and it is likely that they were less elevated than this picture shows them. The carving from which this was taken, however, exaggerates them still more. - An ancient Egyptian Temple complete, from the Description of Strabo
- Amen-Ra, the King of the Gods
- Counting hands
An admirable representation of a battlefield is found on the walls of the pronaos of the great temple of Medient Habou and is thus described by Dr Richardson:-The south and part of the east wall is covered with a battle-scene, and the cruel punishment of the vanquished, by cutting off their hands and maiming their bodies. - Racial Types (after Champollion)
From Egyptian Tomb paintings - The God Amsu
- The Goddess Apit
- Transporting a huge stone monument in Ancient Egypt
As depicted on a wall-painting at El Bersheh. Notice the overseer on the knees of the colossus giving the 'time' by clapping his hands, and the man pouring oil in front of the runners to ease the passage of the sledge. - Chaldean lamps of the second period
Chaldean lamps of the second period - Cuneiform Inscription
Among the earliest of the monuments hitherto discovered are a set of bricks bearing the following cuneiform inscription. This inscription is explained to mean:—“Beltis, his lady, has caused Urukh (?), the pious chief, King of Hur, and King of the land (?) of the Akkad, to build a temple to her.” - Chaldean vases, drinking vessels and amphora of the second period
Chaldean vases, drinking vessels and amphora of the second period - Egyptian Corset
Egyptian Corset - Chaldean Reeds (from a slab of Sennacherib)
Among the vegetable products of Chaldaea must be noticed, as almost peculiar to the region, its enormous reeds. These, which are represented with much spirit in the sculptures of Sennacherib, cover the marshes in the summer-time, rising often to the height of fourteen or fifteen feet. The Arabs of the marsh region form their houses of this material, binding the stems of the reeds together, and bending them into arches, to make the skeleton of their buildings; while, to form the walls, they stretch across from arch to arch mats made of the leaves. From the same fragile substance they construct their terradas or light boats, which, when rendered waterproof by means of bitumen, will support the weight of three or four men. - Temple of Êa at Eridhu
- Chaldean vases of the first period
Chaldean vases of the first period - Wild-sow and pigs
The wild animals indigenous in Babylonia appear to be chiefly the following:—the lion, the leopard, the hyeena, the lynx, the wild-cat, the wolf, the jackal, the wild-boar, the buffalo, the stag, the gazelle, the jerboa, the fox, the hare, the badger, and the porcupine. The Mesopotamian lion is a noble animal. The wild-boar frequents the river banks and marshes, as depicted in the Assyrian sculptures. - A City Captured and the Inhabitants Led Away Captive
- Warriors swimming on inflated skins
- Winged Bull
- Dragon from the Ishtar Gate of Babylon
Dragon from the Ishtar Gate of Babylon - Winged lion with human head
- Ani, a scribe
Ani, a scribe 1450 B.C. - Apollo
- Phrygian Lady
- Ares
- Arch of Titus
- Details of decoration
Details of decoration - Hairdressing and Head-dresses 600 BC - 146 BC
Hair dressed with a wave on the temples was the most important feature of hairdressing at the beginning of this period, and during the first two centuries the elaborate stiff waving had the effect of a scalloped edge {left picture). On top of these waves, a series of stiff curls, pointing downwards, was often arranged. Another style in vogue at the same time was the dressing of the front hair to form a coronet of circular curls, all round the head from ear to ear {middle picture). The side ringlets, "braided tresses," were still retained, coming from behind the ears, and brought forward on to the shoulders, and the back portion (left picture) was allowed to hang down behind in waves or ringlets. Above this was tied a band, or fillet, of ribbon or metal, also encircling the head behind the row of waves or curls. Late in the sixth century the fillet became a little wider in the band, and was more upstanding on the head, forming a coronet that was often richly ornamented {right picture), and this was the early form of the stephane. - A Queen
An Egyptian queen - Theseus - Hyppolita - Deinomache
- Venus
- Later State of Alexander’s Empire
Later State of Alexander’s Empire - Section of Drain
Besides the coffins themselves, some other curious features are found in the burial-places. The dead are commonly buried, not underneath the natural surface of the ground, but in extensive artificial mounds, each mound containing a vast number of coffins. The coffins are arranged side by side, often in several layers; and occasionally strips of masonry, crossing each other at right angles, separate the sets of coffins from their neighbors. The surface of the mounds is sometimes paved with brick; and a similar pavement often separates the layers of coffins one from another. But the most remarkable feature in the tomb-mounds is their system of drainage. Long shafts of baked clay extend from the surface of the mound to its base, composed of a succession of rings two feet in diameter, and about a foot and a half in breadth, joined together by thin layers of bitumen. To give the rings additional strength, the sides have a slight concave curve and, still further to resist external pressure, the shafts are filled from bottom to top with a loose mass of broken pottery. At the top the shaft contracts rapidly by means of a ring of a peculiar shape, and above this ring are a series of perforated bricks leading up to the top of the mound, the surface of which is so arranged as to conduct the rain-water into these orifices. For the still more effectual drainage of the mound, the top-piece of the shaft immediately below the perforated bricks, and also the first rings, are full of small holes to admit any stray moisture; and besides this, for the space of a foot every way, the shafts are surrounded with broken pottery, so that the real diameter of each drain is as much as four feet. By these arrangements the piles have been kept perfectly dry; and the consequence is the preservation, to the present day, not only of the utensils and ornaments placed in the tombs, but of the very skeletons themselves, which are seen perfect on opening a tomb, though they generally crumble to dust at the first touch. - Phrygian attired for a religious rite
- Map of Greece
- The Lighthouse of the Harbor of Alexandria in the Hellenistic Age
Alexander died in Babylon when not quite thirty-three years old. In actual and immediate achievement he surpassed perhaps every other man who has ever lived. He founded an empire which he himself had conceived and developed, which covered nearly all the then known world, and which, though it was composed mainly of barbarous and semi-barbarous people, was dominated by Greek thought. It is true that the empire fell apart almost immediately after Alexander died. But it did not fall into anarchy, or revert to its previous state: it was divided into four parts, each of which was distinct, self-governing and well organized. The two larger parts, the kingdom of the Seleucidæ, which occupied approximately the territory of Persia, and the kingdom of the Ptolomies, or Egypt, continued as torch-bearers to civilization for many centuries thereafter. Of the two, the former was the larger and was probably the better, from an administrative point of view; but Egypt represented the finer civilization; for Alexandria, with its library and its wonderful museum, became the seat of learning and the resort of the scholars of the world, and the centre of the Hellenistic civilization that followed that of Greece. - Amphitheater
- Ancient Greek
- A Queen
Egyptian queen - Chaldean Jar-Coffins
The third kind of tomb, common both at Mugheir and at Telel-Lahm, is almost as eccentric as the preceding. Two large open-mouthed jars (a and b), shaped like the largest of the water-jars at present in use at Baghdad, are taken, and the body is disposed inside them with the usual accompaniments of dishes, vases, and ornaments. The jars average from two and a half feet to three feet in depth, and have a diameter of about two feet; so that they would readily contain a full-sized corpse if it was slightly bent at the knees. Sometimes the two jars are of equal size, and are simply united at their mouths by a layer of bitumen (dd); but more commonly one is slightly larger than the other, and the smaller mouth is inserted into the larger one for a depth of three or four inches, while a coating of bitumen is still applied externally at the juncture. In each coffin there is an air-hole at one extremity (c) to allow the escape of the gases generated during decomposition. - They crashed into the Persian army with tremendous force
From their camp on a hill above the plain of Marathon, the Greeks looked down upon the vast army of the Persians. For several days no battle was fought, the Persians being unable to attack the Athenians without danger as they were on the hill. At length Miltiades, whom the other nine generals were willing to follow, resolved to wait no longer. He ordered his men to advance at a sharp run down the hill and to charge the enemy. When they had started, the soldiers could not stop themselves. Quicker and quicker they ran, until, when they reached the plain, they crashed into the Persian army with tremendous force. - Serapis
This trinity consisted of the god Serapis (= Osiris + Apis), the goddess Isis (= Hathor, the cow-moon goddess), and the child-god Horus. In one way or another almost every other god was identified with one or other of these three aspects of the one God, even the sun god Mithras of the Persians. - Zeus
- He ran toward the horse and seized the bridle
A moment later the order was given, and the Macedonians rushed upon the great hosts of the enemy. Darius thought that his war-chariots would cause deadly havoc among his enemies, for scythes were fastened to the wheels to mow down all who came within reach. But the Macedonian archers drew their bows and sped their arrows among the charioteers, while the strongest seized the reins of the horses, and pulled the drivers from their seats. Then the soldiers opened wide their ranks so that those chariots that still had drivers rattled harmlessly past them. - Ariadne from the Vatican
- A supposed monumental head of Sesostris
The most renowned monarch that ever reigned over Egypt was Sesostris. The date of his reign is not precisely known; but there is a carving in stone, lately found in Egypt among the ruins of an ancient city. which is more than three thousand years old, and supposed to be a portrait of him. It is doubtless the oldest portrait in existence. This king formed the design of conquering the world, and set out from Egypt with more than a million of foot soldiers, twenty-four thousand horsemen, and twenty-seven thousand armed chariots. His ambitious projects were partially successful. He made great conquests, and wherever he went he caused marble pillars to be erected, and inscriptions to be engraved on them, so that future ages might not forget his renown. The following was the inscription on most of the pillars: - SESOSTRIS, KING OF KINGS, HAS CONQUERED THIS TERRITORY BY HIS ARMS. But the marble pillars have long ago crumbled into dust, or been buried under the earth; and the history of Sesostris is so obscure, that some writers have even doubted whether he made any conquest's at all. - Natural amphitheater
- He drank the contents as though it were a draught of wine
For thirty days Socrates was in prison, and he spent the time in talking to his friends just as he had been used to do in the market-place. One of his disciples, named Crito, bribed the jailer to allow his prisoner to escape, but Socrates refused to flee. He did not fear death, but faced it calmly as he had faced life. On the day before the sentence was carried out, he talked quietly to his disciples of the life to which he was going, for he believed that his soul, which was his real self, would live after he had laid aside his body as a garment. When the cup of hemlock, a poisoned draught, was brought to him, his friends wept, but he took the cup in his hand, and drank the contents as though it were a draught of wine. - Statuette in wood 2
- He became a target for every arrow
But it proved impossible to land. Again and again the Spartan admiral made the attempt, but each time he was forced to withdraw, lest his ships should be dashed upon the rocks. Brasidas refused to give in, and he bade his men wreck their vessels rather than be beaten back. ‘Be not sparing of timber,’ he cried, ‘for the enemy has built a fortress in your country. Perish the ships and force a landing.’ Spurred on by his words, the men drove their ship upon the beach, while Brasidas stood fearlessly on the gangway ready to leap upon the shore. But the Athenians saw the bold figure too well, and he became a target for every arrow. - An Egyptian goddess
A goddess, 700 B.C., is an exact copy of an Egyptian drawing. - Scepters
His gods (a) carry a staff as a scepter, which every Bedouin still cuts today, and his goddesses (b) are content with a stalk of reeds. - In the earliest times, a simple foot-race was the only event
In the Olympian temple, in later days, there was a marvellous statue of Zeus in gold and ivory, wrought by the genius of Pheidias, the greatest sculptor of Greece. The games were open to all, and spectators as well as competitors flocked to Olympia from every state in Greece. To the Greeks these games were part of their religion; they were rites pleasing, so they believed, to the gods. Should there be war between any of the Greek States at the time of the games, all hostile acts were forbidden in Olympia. Until the festival was over, those who had been in arms, one against another, might meet in safety and in peace. Twice or thrice an armed force made its way into the sacred territory of Elis to interfere with the games. This to the Greeks was sacrilege. In the earliest times the games lasted only for one day, and a simple foot-race was the only event. But soon the festival came to last for five days, for there were now, not only foot-races, but wrestling, boxing, racing in armour, and above all else chariot races. In these races it was not the driver who, if successful, won the wreath of olive, but the owner of the chariot. - Pectoral in shape of a hawk with a ram’s head
- The Sun-God of Edfu
Another important centre of the worship of the sun god, was Edfu in Upper Egypt, where even now his temple stands complete. Here originated the remarkable figure of the god which represents him as the sun with multicoloured wings as he flies across the heavens triumphant over his enemies. This figure of Horus of Edfu (or, as he was usually styled, he of Edfu) is placed over the gateways of the temples to keep out all evil things. - Ethiopian Noble Lady
- Painting of fish on plates
Sargus vulgaris In Attica, was early developed a characteristic and closely accurate type of representation of marine forms, and this attained a wider vogue in Southern Italy in the fourth century. From the latter period a number of dishes and vases have come down to us bearing a large variety of fish forms, portrayed with an exactness that is interesting in view of the attention to marine creatures in the surviving literature of Aristotelian origin - Statuette in wood
- Bronze Cat
- Paintings of fish on plates
Crenilabrus mediterraneus. Uranoscopus scaber? In Attica, too, was early developed a characteristic and closely accurate type of representation of marine forms, and this attained a wider vogue in Southern Italy in the fourth century. From the latter period a number of dishes and vases have come down to us bearing a large variety of fish forms, portrayed with an exactness that is interesting in view of the attention to marine creatures in the surviving literature of Aristotelian origin