This cigar box, containing several wooden splinters that make up a piece of cedar discovered in the Great Pyramid of Giza, was…
This granite statue depicts Pharaoh Ramesses VI, who reigned 1144-1137 BC. On the back is a hieroglyphic inscription that reads: ‘May [he]live,…
This low-relief limestone carving, dating to c.2400 BC, formed part of a larger votive wall plaque in a Sumerian temple in southern…
What is it? This statuette, dating from around 21,000 BC, has the familiar form of a Palaeolithic ‘Venus’ figurine. Carved out of…
What is it? This late Ming dynasty map depicts China, the South China Sea, and surrounding lands. It was drawn in the…
What is it? This mid 3rd century AD semi-cylindrical shield is known as a scutum and was used by legionary soldiers of…
What is it? This small Egyptian figure, carved out of red sandstone around 1800 BC, depicts a familiar mythical creature: the sphinx.…
What is it? This ancient Mesopotamian sculpture known as the ‘ram in the thicket’ is actually a ‘goat in a tree’. The…
What is it? This masterpiece in miniature is an engraved agate sealstone, measuring only 3.6cm in length. Carved with exceptional skill onto…
What is it? This is a Roman stone sundial, a timekeeping device that had become quite common in the Roman world from…
What is it? William is the nickname given to this small Egyptian Middle Kingdom statuette of a hippopotamus. The figurine was made…
What is it? This exquisitely carved ivory plaque from the ancient Assyrian site of Nimrud, near Mosul in Iraq, is one of…