Lighting the Way

The ancient oil lamp, best described as ‘antiquities’ lightbulb’, give us a unique insight into daily life within the ancient world. They document not only sociological occurrences, but the development of the world’s religions, they aid in the dating of archaeological excavations and provide an in-depth insight into private life. Since the earliest of times,  … Read more

By Anastasia,

  Category: Buying & Collecting
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Making their Mark: A Concise Guide to Western Asiatic Stamp Seals

Differing from most of the delicate and sophisticatedly engraved stamps seals made of precious stones, the earliest ancient Near Eastern stamping devices were relatively large ceramic objects with a stem handle and with geometric patterns engraved on the bases. They have been extensively found in village settlements of the Neolithic period in Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Levant  … Read more

By Anastasia,

  Category: Imagery & Symbolism, Near East
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Mesopotamian Cylinder Seals—Exploring Glyptic Images

In the ancient Near East, cylinder seals were used over a wide geographical landscape, that extended from Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) to the valley of the Indus River. There were various ancient Near Eastern cultures, that once flourished in the ancient Near Eastern landscape, that developed distinctive imagery representations and iconic glyptic styles expressing different mythological  … Read more

By Anastasia,

  Category: Imagery & Symbolism, Near East
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Decorative Metalwork Techniques

There were many methods used to decorate and embellish ancient items ranging from delicate jewellery, impressive armoury and funerary objects to magnificent buildings and palaces. Each requiring a high level of skill and intricacy. Many techniques travelled across different civilisations and periods, modified slightly to the actual process and look for better precision or influences  … Read more

By Leia Dowding,

  Category: Decorative Techniques
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Ancient Glass

The use of glass evolved over the ancient periods through techniques, styles, colours and uses. The ancient Egyptians are thought to be one of the first to manufacture glass by producing small glass beads for necklaces. Originally faience was a main material used by the Egyptians for decorating and making amulets and jewellery. This was  … Read more

By Leia Dowding,

  Category: Ancient Rome, Buying & Collecting
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The Horse in Chinese Art and Culture

Throughout China’s long past, no animal has affected its history as greatly as the horse. Ever since its introduction in China around the end of the 3rd Millennium BC, the horse has been an integral figure in the creation and survival of the Middle Kingdom. Their importance in the transportation of goods and supplies, and  … Read more

By Anastasia,

  Category: China & The Orient
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Byzantine Fire Grenades

The Byzantine Empire and Warfare After the fall of Rome in 476 AD and the collapse of the Roman rule in Western Europe, the Eastern part of the Empire was to survive and thrive for centuries, until its fall in 1453 AD. The Byzantine Empire, with its capital in Constantinople, commanded the passage between the  … Read more

By Virginia,

  Category: Byzantine Empire
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Religious Syncretisms in the Ancient Mediterranean Region

Military conquests and economic exchanges have been a catalyser in the diversification of the religious landscape of the Ancient Mediterranean region. Indeed, as cultures and religions met and travelled, they gave birth to new divinities, according to the phenomenon of syncretisation. These new divinities were a form of hybrids between already established gods and goddesses  … Read more

By Virginia,

  Category: Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Mythology, Ancient Rome, Divinity & Religion
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Egyptian Amulets and their Meanings

Amulets in Ancient Egypt were both decorative and practical, as they were considered as having apotropaic powers to protect or bestow power upon the wearer. Not only worn by the living, amulets have been found inside the wrappings of mummies, as they were used to prepare the deceased for the afterlife. Amulets held different meanings,  … Read more

By Virginia,

  Category: Ancient Egypt, Imagery & Symbolism
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Animal Symbolism in Roman Art

Animal motifs appear in Roman art because of the important associations and meanings those animals carried. For some animals, such as lions and eagles, the connotations are fairly transparent, either because we still share them today or because such associations were so famous and widespread that they have not been forgotten; others, however, are far  … Read more

By Virginia,

  Category: Ancient Rome, Imagery & Symbolism
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