Pompeii was thriving up until the moment of its destruction and in studying its life interrupted, we arrive at important insights about what it was like to live in the Roman Mediterranean. For example, the House of the Vettii is a large...

Marcus Ulpius Traianus, now commonly referred to as Trajan, reigned as Romess emperor from 98 until 117 C.E. and had a reputation as a good emporer. A massive architectural complex-referred to as the Forum of Trajan was devoted to...

Uruk (modern Warka in Iraq)is where city life began more than five thousand years ago. In the center of the city, the greatest monument was the Anu Ziggurat on which the White Temple was built. View pictures and read descriptions of this...

This fascinating and unique prehistoric sculpture of a dog-like animal was discovered accidentally in 1870 in Tequixquiac, Mexicocan. Anthropologists are not certain of this object's original meaning for either the artist or the people...

Read about the tragic life of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and view his artwork. This essay explores what influenced his masterpiece "Self-Portrait as a Soldier".

This article discusses the importance of sculpted masks in West African culture. Learn about the two types of entertainment masks, Goli and Mblo, and their role in masquerades.

German artist Kathe Kollwitz worked almost exclusively in printmaking and became known for her prints that celebrated the plight of the working-class. View pictures and read about her techniques in this essay.

Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, and Jose Clemente Orozco-known as Los tres grandes-cultivated an artistic style that defined Mexican identity following the Revolution. They crafted epic murals on the walls of highly visible, public buildings...

Nkisi nkondi figures are highly recognizable through an accumulation of pegs, blades, nails, or other sharp objects inserted into its surface. This Kongo tradition has survived over the centuries and migrated to the Americas and the...

Among the founders of the world's major religions, the Buddha was the only teacher who did not claim to be other than an ordinary human being. Read about his life in this article.

The Sullivan, Carson, Pirie, Scott Building in Chicago is an important example of early Chicago skyscraper architecture, and can also be seen as a fascinating indicator of the relationship between architecture and commerce. View pictures...

Joseph Wright of Derby's painting, "A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery", encapsulates in one moment the age of Enlightenment. View pictures and read details of this painting in this essay.

"Portrait of Sin Sukju" reflected both the honor that Sin Sukju brought to his lineage as a meritorious official in Korea as well as Confucian beliefs about the afterlife. View the portrait and read about the person it commemorated.

Yaxchilan was a significant Maya center during the Classic period and a number of its buildings stand to this day. The carved stone lintels above their doorways, commissioned by the rulers of the city, provide a lengthy dynastic record...

"Blue-and-white" porcelain was used in temples and occasionally in burials in China, but most was exported. View pictures of Chinese porcelain and read about the innovative glazing techniques in this essay.

The David Vases are among the most important examples of blue-and-white porcelain in existence, and are probably the best-known porcelain vases in the world. Read a short description of these vases.

This thirteenth-century portrayal of the Night Attack on the Sanjo Palace appears on a handscroll, a common East Asian painting format in Japan called an emaki. View pictures and read about the intricate details that are portrayed in...

Read and view pictures of "Red and White Plum Blossoms" by Ogata Korin. Ogata transforms a very simple landscape theme-two flowering trees on either side of a brook-into a dream vision.

The Hawaiian male nobility wore feather cloaks and capes for ceremonies and battle. These capes were given as gifts to the sea captains and their crews who were the earliest European visitors to Hawaii. View a picture of one of these...

Cusco was the capitol of Tawantinsuyu. It was the center of existence and a reflection of Inkan power. Read about life in the city and view pictures of the architecture.

Bandolier Bags are based on bags carried by European soldiers armed with rifles, who used the bags to store ammunition cartridges. These bags were especially popular in the late nineteenth century in the Eastern or Woodlands region. View...

The All-T'oqapu Tunic is an example of the height of Andean textile fabrication and its centrality to Inka expressions of power. Read about the making of Andean textiles and their iconography.

Yaxchilan is host to an impressive number of structures and monuments-over 100-and is especially famous for its high-quality relief carvings. Specifically the lintels exemplify the skilled carving of Maya artists at Yaxchilan-and the...

Maria Martinez became one of the best-known Native potters of the twentieth century due to her excellence as a ceramist and her connections with a larger, predominantly non-Native audience. Read her ceramic techniques and view examples...