Afterlife

Beliefs about the afterlife have played a central role in many religious and cultural traditions. Artistic and historical objects connected to this theme often reflect ideas about death, the soul, and the continuation of existence beyond the physical world, revealing how different societies have imagined life after death.

Ancient ceramic figurine with geometric and spiral patterns, shaped like a seated figure with elongated neck

Enthroned Plank Idol (c.650 BCE)

Antiquities Europe Greece Sculpture

This ceramic plank idol was made in Boeotia in the middle of the 6th century BC, though its type reaches back to traditions formed after the middle of the 7th century BC.

Bedouins at the Tomb of Lazarus, ethnographic photograph of Bedouins gathered at the Tomb of Lazarus, 1890s

Bedouins at the Tomb of Lazarus (1890s CE)

Documents Ethnographic Photography

This image depicts a group of Bedouins—men, women, and children in traditional attire—gathered outside the entrance to what is believed to be the tomb of Lazarus, the biblical figure famously resurrected by Jesus.

Egyptian Mummy Seller, black-and-white or sepia historical photograph of a mummy seller in Egypt, 1875

Egyptian Mummy Seller (1875 CE)

Documents Historic & Iconic Photography

Depicting an egyptian street vendor surrounded by mummified bodies and artifacts for sale, this image evokes the era's fascination with Egyptomania, blending curiosity, exploitation, and a disregard for cultural heritage.

Carved funerary stele commemorating the deceased, ancient greek world

Grave Stele (c. 50 BCE)

Antiquities Ceremonial & Religious Greece Middle East

This marble grave stele from southern Anatolia stands as an example of Hellenistic funerary art, combining architectural form, figural narrative, inscription, and symbolic imagery into a single, highly sophisticated monument.

Egyptian painted wood model figure of a man, Middle Kingdom

Model Figure of a Man (1980–1801 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Ceremonial & Religious Egyptian

Despite its modest size, the figure of a man offers a vivid entry point into Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife, where images were not merely symbolic but actively participated in ensuring eternal existence.

Attic red-figure lekythos, terracotta oil flask, c. 490 BCE

Red-Figure Lekythos (c.490 BCE)

Antiquities Ceremonial & Religious Europe Greece

Crafted in Attic ceramic tradition, this lekythos not only served practical purposes but also embodied the artistic pinnacle of late Archaic Greece, blending heroism and sensuality in a way that invites viewers to explore ancient myths and daily life.

Souls on the Banks of the Acheron by Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl, oil on canvas, 1898

Souls On The Banks of the Acheron (1898 CE)

Art Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl Painting Symbolism

Drawing from Greek mythology, as depicted in Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, the work portrays the river Acheron as the boundary between life and death, with Hermes Psychopompos guiding souls to their final passage.

Stela of Pasherienimhotep, Egyptian limestone funerary monument, 145–100 BCE

Stela of Pasherienimhotep (145-100 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Ceremonial & Religious Egyptian

In ancient Egypt, stelae ensured the deceased’s memory and sustenance in the afterlife through offerings of bread, beer, and meat. This one, dedicated to Pasherienimhotep is a well preserved gem.