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Ancient Egyptian Writing
Ancient Egyptian writing is known as hieroglyphics ('sacred carvings') and developed at some point prior to the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 -2613 BCE). According to some scholars, the concept of the written word was first developed in...
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Achala, King of the Wrathful Ones
Achala, King of the Wrathful Ones; Inner Mongolia, Tangut Xia, Khara Khoto (1038–1227 CE); early 13th century CE; silk and pearls; overall: 40 1/4x 29 1/8 in. (102.3 x 74 cm); The Cleveland Museum of Art; purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund...
Definition
Godin Tepe
Godin Tepe is, today, an archaeological site in the Kangavar valley of Luristan, in western central Iran. The name means "hill of Godin" though what the settlement was called originally is unknown. The site was first discovered...
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Young Spartans Exercising by Degas
A c. 1861 oil on canvas painting, Young Spartans Exercising, by Edgar Degas (1834-1917), the French impressionist painter. A typical early work of the artist when he was still interested in becoming a historical painter. The frieze-like quality...
Article
A Supervisor's Advice to a Young Scribe
A Supervisor's Advice to a Young Scribe is a Sumerian composition relating a dialogue between an elder scribe and a young graduate from his school. The piece is dated to the Old Babylonian Period (c. 2000-1600 BCE) and, although originally...
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The Palaces at Nimrud Restored
"The palaces of Nimrud Restored", as imagined by the city's first excavator, A.H. Layard. A Second Series of the Monuments of Nineveh, London 1853, pl. 1 detail, after a sketch by James Fergusson.
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Early Indian Punch-Marked Coin
Early Indian coins were made by cutting sheets of silver into pieces and marking each piece with one or more symbols using small punches. As there are no portraits or inscriptions, the coins are now known by numbers. This coin, for example...
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Kings Bay Kull Compagni's Mining Operations on Svalbard - 1918
From Kings Bay Kull Compagni's mining operations on Svalbard. Photo: Sigvald Moa. From the archive of Kings Bay Kull Compagni AS (PA-1632, series D, pcs. 1, 2_8).
Definition
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine (l. c. 1122-1204 CE) was one of the most impressive and powerful figures of the High Middle Ages (1000-1300 CE) – male or female – whose influence shaped the politics, art, medieval literature, and perception of women...
Definition
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is an incomplete grey and pink granodiorite stela dating from 196 BCE which presents a priestly decree concerning King Ptolemy V of Egypt. The text is in three different versions: Hieroglyphic, Demotic and Greek, a fact...