Head of Hermes (c. 200–1 BCE)
This weathered marble head once belonged to a herm, one of the most familiar and protective images of the ancient Greek and Roman world. It shows the bearded face of Hermes, the messenger of the gods.
Region Europe
Etruscan Sarcophagus (325–250 BCE)
This is the sarcophagus of Vel Urinates, an Etruscan man who lived in the 4th century BCE. It offers a rare glimpse into both an individual’s identity and the Etruscans’ complex view of death.
Minoan Bronze Double Axe (3000-1100 BCE)
This striking bronze double axe, plaque, or decorative frieze, offers a rare and vivid glimpse into one of the most powerful symbols of ancient Crete.
Eye, Nose and Cheek (1939 CE)
Eye, Nose and Cheek by the Northern Irish sculptor F.E. McWilliam is a quietly startling object: a slice of an enlarged human face carved in pale stone, showing only an eye, a nose and a cheek.
The Barberini Faun (220 BCE)
he Barberini Faun is one of the most immediate and sensual sculptures in the Glyptothek in Munich. It shows a young, powerful satyr who has collapsed onto a rock after a night of wine and dancing.
Herm of Ephesus Bust (150-200 CE)
A tall, quadrangular shaft rises and is crowned by the solemn, bearded head of a mature male deity—most likely Hermes, the Greek god of boundaries, travelers, and transitions.
The Vendel I Helmet (675–700 CE)
On Vendel I the pressed bronze plates show warriors, riders, animals, and motifs that scholars have long associated with Odin and his ravens. The crest ends in bird heads—almost certainly ravens.
Bust of a Roman Woman (c.80 CE)
This is a marble bust of an unidentified Roman woman, carved around 80 CE during the Flavian dynasty. It is one of the more characterful private roman portraits.
Sheffield Cross Shaft (800s CE)
This is the lower part of a free-standing Anglo-Saxon stone cross, carved from sandstone in the early 9th century.
The Vendel XIV Helmet (560–620 CE)
The Vendel XIV helmet is a remarkable example of the richly decorated helmets worn by elite warriors in Scandinavia during the Vendel Period.
Charioteer of Delphi Plaster Cast (1800s CE)
This 19th-century plaster cast captures one of the most celebrated surviving figures from ancient Greek art: the Charioteer of Delphi. It shows a youthful driver moments after a victory.
Queen From The Lewis Chess Pieces (1100s CE)
The piece belongs to the famous Lewis Chessmen, a group of medieval gaming pieces that has fascinated scholars, artists and the public for nearly two centuries.
The Vendel XII Helmet (550-650 CE)
The Vendel XII helmet is one of the finest surviving examples of a Nordic crested (or “spectacle”) helmet from the Vendel Period. It is both practical battlefield equipment and a striking work of elite craftsmanship.
Runic Stone U140 (1080–1130 CE)
In a churchyard north of present-day Stockholm, around the year 1100, a man named Thorsten commissioned a runic stone so that three deaths would not be forgotten.
King Attalus I of Pergamon (200–150 BCE)
Larger-than-life portrait of king, Attalus I or Eumenes II. For more than a century this has been the face most often used for Attalus I Soter, the first Attalid to call himself king.