Images

Red-figure kylix depicting male figures relaxing on a sofa during a symposium. Attributed to the Pistoxenos Painter. c. 480-470 BCE. 24.1 cm (9.5 in). Athens. (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

This erotic fresco from the Suburban Baths at Pompeii depicts two women. 1st century CE.

Detail of the Warren Cup, a Roman silver vessel depicting two same-sex male couples. c. 1st Century CE. Possibly from Battir, Israel. (British Museum)

A red-figure kylix depicting Zeus abducting the youth Ganymede. Attributed to the Penthesilea Painter. Athens, c. 475-425 BCE. National Archaeological Museum, Ferrara.

Red-figure kylix depicting the hero Achilles tending to the wounds of Patroclus, who was wounded by an arrow. Attributed to the Sosias Painter. c. 500 BCE. 32.1 cm (12.2 in) in diameter. Vulci, Italy. (Altes Museum)

Tondo of the Two Brothers, mummy portrait of two men from Fayum, Egypt, 2nd century CE. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Although traditionally assumed to be brothers, recent scholarship has suggested that they may have in fact been lovers.

Detail of a painting from the limestone walls of the Tomb of the Diver. The tomb and its artwork is associated with Classical Greek culture which flourished in Magna Graecia during antiquity. From the North Wall of the Tomb of the Diver in...

Detail of a red-figure cup by the painter Peithinos. The cup shows an array of couples, including this male couple. Made in Vulci, Italy c. 500 BCE. (Altes Museum)

Edith Wharton (l. 1862-1937) as a young woman, c. 1889, photo by Roseti, 297 Fifth Avenue, New York. Edith Wharton collection/Beinecke 10061396

A mid-16th century painting of Portuguese carrack ships. Carrack and caravel ships were the mainstay of the Portuguese Empire, permitting the Portuguese to dominate the seas and bring precious cargo like spices back to Europe. (Royal Museums...