Olmec Face (c. 1200–400 BCE)
A serene human face carved in pale stone by the Olmec of ancient Mexico, now in the Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm.
Tag Ceremonial & Religious
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.
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.
Copy of Stone of Tizoc (1481-1486 CE)
This small-scale model in the collections of the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg is a faithful miniature of the monumental Stone of Tizoc (Piedra de Tízoc). Known also as the Sacrificial Stone.
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 Offering Table of Defdji (2305–2118 BCE)
The Offering Table of Defdji is an exceptional example of how the ancient Egyptians sought to sustain life beyond death.
Pyramidion of Ptahemwia (c.1325 BCE)
A miniature limestone pyramid, roughly the size of a large breadbox, that once crowned a private tomb at Saqqara. Carved around 1325 BCE, the Pyramidion of Ptahemwia was the finishing touch on a mud-brick pyramid.
The Alunda Elk (4000–1700 BCE)
The Alunda Elk combines the shape of an axe with a remarkably lifelike animal sculpture. Carved during the Neolithic, or New Stone Age.
Cybele Statue (c.60 BCE)
This marble statue of Cybele presents the goddess as an enthroned and highly formal divine presence. Seated frontally, wrapped in heavy drapery, and crowned with a tall turreted headdress..
Bull’s Head Rhyton (340–320 BCE)
Made in Apulia around 340–320 BCE, this bull’s head rhyton shows how inventive South Italian pottery could be in the late Classical period. The vessel combines an animal-shaped form with red-figure decoration and added paint.
Inscribed Colonette (2nd–3rd century BCE)
Carved in marble and still preserving its inscription in full, this small inscribed colonette records a personal act of thanks in the Roman city of Tomis. The text tells us that a man from Sidon, dedicated the object to the Syrian Goddess.
Grave Stele of Mnesarete (400 BCE)
Few grave monuments from classical Athens are as quietly affecting as the Grave Stele of Mnesarete. Carved in Attica around 380 BCE, the relief shows a young woman seated in composed sorrow.
Votive Club of Eukrateia (c. 0-199 BCE)
Small in scale but unusually rich in meaning, this bronze votive club brings together myth, religion, and a named human presence. Cast as a miniature version of the weapon most closely associated with Herakles.
Dove-Bearer from Callatis (c.200-400 BCE)
This Tanagra-type terracotta statuette from ancient Callatis offers a refined image of female presence in the Hellenistic world. The figure stands quietly yet elegantly, wrapped in abundant drapery, with a small dove perched on her right shoulder.