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Stele of Nakhy

late 18th or early 19th Dynasty, ca. 1330-1290 BC. From Deir el-Medina, Thebes. Now in the Egyptian Museum of Turin. Cat. 1586

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Stele of Neskhonsupakhered, Singer of Amun, in adoration of Ra-Horakhty

Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty to 22nd Dynasty, ca. 950-800 BC. Now in the Egyptian Museum of Turin. Cat. 1598

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Colourful woven fabric fragment with fruits and flowers, likely used as an edging for clothing.  Fruits shown include a pomegranate (far right), cherries, possibly a lemon and tulips.

Attributed to Egypt, 4th-5th century (Coptic period)

Wool and linen, 2.5 inches high by 8.75 inches long. 

Source: Met Museum

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“Nihil dūrāre potest tempore perpetuō; cum bene sōl nituit, redditur ōceanō; dēcrēscit Phoebē, quae modo plēna fuit; ventōrum feritās saepe fit aura levis.”

—

“Nothing can endure for all time; when the sun has shined well, it is returned to the sea; the moon has grown small, which was just now full; the wildness of winds often becomes a gentle breeze.”

A graffito found near a tavern in Pompeii.

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“deus est mortali iuvare mortalem.”

—

“For a person to help a person, that is god.”

Pliny the Elder, Natural History II.18

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Black-figured storage-jar (amphora) with a boy mounted on a centaur (perhaps Achilles and Chiron) between palmettes.

500 BCE-480 BCE, Etruscan

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Fresco depicting a Architectural structure, 1st century BC Pompeii, Insula Occidentalis VI, 17, 41 Museo Archeologico Nazionale (inv. 8594)

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Bronze khopesh (sickle sword), Egyptian or Canaanite, circa 2000-1600 BC

from The Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

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Bronze weight in the form of a lion, Neo-Assyrian, from the reign of Sargon II, 721 - 701 BC

from The Louvre

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Bronze statue of Emperor Trebonius Gallus, Roman, circa 251-253 AD

from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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A Pair of Greek Gold, Hardstone & Enamel Earrings,

The enameled swans hang from a granulated disc, which is reminiscent of the decoration of Macedonian shields due to the semicircles extending from the edge.

Chains decorated with emerald beads hang down from the sides.

Hellenistic Period, Circa 3rd - 1st Century B.C.

1 7⁄16 in. (3.6 cm.) long.

Courtesy: Christie's

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Carnelian bust of Galena, Roman, 1st century AD

from The Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

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Silver plate depicting David slaying a lion, Byzantine, circa 630 AD

from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Duck shaped cosmetic vessel made from a single piece of rock crystal (quartz), Mycenaean Greece, circa 1500 BC

from The National Archaeological Museum, Athens

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Staff Pick of the Week

My staff pick of the week is the seven-volume set of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (1737-1794). Edward Gibbon was a rationalist historian who lived in 18th-century England and is best known for this set of histories. The first volume was printed in 1776 and received several additions and revisions by the author before his death. The seven volumes cover the Roman Empire from the 1st century AD to the 15th century. 

This particular set was published in 1946 by George Macy Companies, Inc. as part of their Limited Editions Club. The box set was printed in an edition of fifteen hundred and was sent out as part of the subscription service for the club. These editions included photogravure prints from etchings in The Views of Rome by Giovanni Batista Piranesi (1720-1778). 

Piranesi’s etchings and the histories were produced at around the same time but they did not come together in printing until these special editions. Another aspect of the special editions, and the reason they are my staff pick, is the design of the spines. They are bound in black morocco and stamped in designer gold. As the volumes progress from the first to the last the ionic column crumbles into disrepair. To follow the various stages of the empire’s regional rule each volume has a map from the period that it covers. The second map image was most interesting to me because it shows a time when the Roman Empire was no longer in control of Rome, but instead ruled by the Ostrogoths.

– Claire, Special Collections Graduate Intern

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Milestone Monday: Democracy Interrupted

On this day in 411 BCE, during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, a political crisis shook the foundations of Athenian democracy. The Athenian Coup, which resulted in the overthrow of Athens' democratic government and led to the establishment of a brief oligarchy known as the Four Hundred. This regime ultimately failed due to widespread discontent among the populace, and by the end of 410 BC, democracy was restored in Athens.

To commemorate this pivotal event in classical history, we are featuring our Limited Editions Club copy of The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides. This 1974 edition includes Richard Crawley’s (1840-1893) English translation, revised by R.C. Feetham, with an introduction by Peter Pouncey. It is richly illustrated with eight double-spread, two-color woodcuts and twenty-five black-and-white woodcuts by the Greek artist A. Tassos, including chapter headings, facing page pairs, and a frontispiece. Six maps, specially drawn for this edition by John Morris, provide historical context, while Eugene Ettenberg designed the format. The woodcut inserts were printed in Athens under the artist’s supervision at the Aspioti Elka printing plant, and the text was composed by John Stone in Concord, NH, then printed by Case, Lockwood & Brainard in Bloomfield, CT. This rare volume is a stunning tribute to both the artistry and the enduring legacy of Thucydides' historical account.

-View more Milestone Monday posts

-View more from The Limited Editions Club

--Melissa, Distinctive Collections Library Assistant

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Cuneiform tablet, Babylonian, 2600-2500 BC

from The Penn Museum