Olympian gods: Did you mean...?

Each peg has a very faint cuneiform inscription of Gudea, the ruler of the city-state of Lagash. Foundation pegs were buried in the foundation of buildings to magically protect them and preserve the builder's name for posterity. In this...

In China gods (menshen) were often painted on either side of a doorway to guard against evil demons or ghosts.

Gold armlet with depictions of mummiform gods. From the treasure of the Nubian queen Amanishakheto, pyramid N6, Meroe, modern-day northern Sudan. Meroitic period, around 1 CE. (State Museum of Egyptian Art, Munich, Germany).

A relief from the temple at Kom Ombo in Egypt depicting Ptolemy VI Philometor (r. 180-145 BCE) making offerings to the gods. Ptolemy can be seen at the far right, holding offerings.

This door lintel was sculpted with the shape of different gods' heads. Each god represents one day of the week. 2nd to 3rd century CE. From Hatra, Modern Al-Jazeera Region, Ninawa Governorate, Iraq. (The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq).

Relief in the Wadi es-Sebua temple depicting Ramesses II (r. 1279-1213 BCE) making an offering to the gods. Approached by an avenue of sphinxes, the Wadi es-Sebua temple was built during the reign of Ramesses II and dedicated to Amun-Ra...

A detail of the assembly of the gods from the east frieze of the Treasury of the Siphians (525 BCE), Delphi. Delphi Archaeological Museum.

The c. 1490 CE engraving 'Battle of the Sea Gods' by the Italian Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna (c. 1431-1506 CE). (Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth House, England)

Arcadian Days: Gods, Women, and Men from Greek Myths by John Spurling and published by Pegasus Books.

A painted silk scroll depicting the four gods of Mount Koya. 16th century CE. (Tokyo National Museum)