Istanbul: Did you mean...?

The architecture of the Byzantine Empire (4th - 15th century CE) continued its early Roman traditions but architects also added new structures to their already formidable repertoire, notably improved fortification walls and domed churches...

Mosaics are designs and images created using small pieces (tesserae) of stone or other materials which have been used to decorate floors, walls, ceilings, and precious objects since before written records began. Like pottery, mosaics have...

"During the reign of King Hezekiah of Juda (c. 725-697 BCE), the Assyrians completed the conquest of Israel, and the city of Juda was left as the only surviving independent state in the region. To ensure that the capital would not suffer...

"This marble sarcophagus is thought to have belonged to a member of the royal family and has come to be known as the "Prince Sarcophagus". On each of its long sides, a pair of angles in flight carrying the circular monogram of Christ in a...

The world's oldest love poem is The Love Song for Shu-Sin (written circa 2000 BCE), composed in ancient Mesopotamia for use in part of the sacred rites of fertility. Prior to its discovery in the 19th century and its translation in the 20th...

The Hippodrome of Constantinople was an arena used for chariot racing throughout the Byzantine period. First built during the reign of Roman emperor Septimius Severus in the early 3rd century CE, the structure was made more grandiose by emperor...

Museums have been around much longer than one might think, but in the ancient world, they were principally institutions of research and learning rather than places to display artworks and artefacts, even if they were often located in grand...

The Gezer calendar is regarded as the oldest Hebrew inscription as yet known. The inscription is scratched on a tablet of soft, chalky limestone and its lower part is broken and lost. The oblique fracture passes as square thought to have...

The gooseherd: A boy and a girl herding two geese are depicted in this mosaic. Great Palace Mosaic Museum, Istanbul, Turkey. Period: Early Byzantine, circa 6th. century CE. Place: Constantinople, (Modern Istanbul, Turkey). Great Palace Mosaic...

The Roman Empire, at its height (c. 117), was the most extensive political and social structure in western civilization. Building upon the foundation laid by the Roman Republic, the empire became the largest and most powerful political and...