Ancient Art

April 12, 2021

“Lost Golden City” Discovered in Egypt Gives a Glimpse Into the Lives of Ancient Pharaohs

Egypt's “lost golden city” has at last been found. A team of Egyptian archeologists led by former antiquities minister Dr. Zahi Hawass announced in a statement on April 8, 2021 that they had uncovered the ancient city of Aten. The remarkably well-preserved city is over 3,000 years old and dates to the New Kingdom period of Egyptian history.

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March 2, 2021

$35 Bowl Bought in Yard Sale Turns Out To Be Rare Ming Dynasty Artifact Worth $500,000

What is your best yard sale find? For an unnamed Connecticut man, an ordinary New Haven yard sale in 2019 produced the bargain of a lifetime. The man purchased a small blue and white porcelain bowl with floral motifs for just $35. Upon closer inspection, he suspected his purchase might be an antique. As it turns out, he had purchased a Ming dynasty porcelain bowl from the early 15th-century Yongle period.

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January 27, 2021

1,500-Year-Old Greek Inscription Reading “Christ, Born of Mary” Found in Israel

Many precious artifacts of human history still lie undiscovered, waiting for excavation. Archeologists in Israel have recently made an extraordinary find which adds to scholars' knowledge of local life in the region 1,500 years ago. A stone fragment covered in Greek inscription was unearthed in the remains of a religious building. The fragment's engraving begins with the words “Christ, son of Mary,” a phrase commonly used as a blessing by early Byzantine Christians.

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December 27, 2020

What Is Ancient Assyrian Art? Discover the Visual Culture of This Powerful Empire

Arising from the Fertile Crescent, the Assyrian Empire once ruled over Mesopotamia with powerful armies and grand stone palaces. This advanced civilization greatly predated the Roman and Greek Empires but produced works of art as delicate as Greek amphorae and as monumental as Roman statuary. Leaving behind a rich archeological record and a wealth of written records, the Ancient Assyrians are an important facet of any introduction to ancient art.

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