Collections

The Fayum mummy portraits were lifelike images painted on thin wooden panels and placed directly over the mummy in Roman Egypt. The vast majority of them date to the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. Hundreds of mummy portraits have been excavated...

The Portuguese built an empire from 1420 onwards that was largely composed of trade centres dotted around the coasts of three continents. This colonial enterprise was driven by a search for African gold, Asian spices, and Christian kingdoms...

Amazon warriors frequently appeared in the art, literature, and mythology of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The idea of a female warrior society existing on the fringes of civilization continues to capture the imagination of modern generations...

This gallery explores the expression of same-sex love in the ancient Mediterranean through art. The Mediterranean was home to many cultures and societies, each with differing views on gender, sex, and relationships. Art was used to celebrate...

This image gallery includes 30 of the finest castles in Japan, based on their level of preservation as well as their architectural and cultural heritage. It is by no means an exhaustive list, as Japan has produced countless castles worthy...

In this gallery, we showcase some of China's historical landmarks. China is one of the oldest cultures in the world, beginning over 7000 years ago with the Chinese "Cradle of Civilization" in the Yellow River Valley of Henan Province. Among...

This gallery of 30 maps traces the history of cartography, with examples of maps made by cultures from the Paleolithic to the early modern period. The maps cover cities, states, continents, sometimes the entire world as it was known at the...

Art in the ancient world was initially associated with ceremonial ritual but, in time, began featuring subjects related to everyday life and the common people. The Chinese were among the first civilizations to create a narrative of their...

This collection explores the evolution of arms and armour around the world, from ancient times to the early modern period. Although it is by no means a complete list of the varied gear carried into warfare throughout history, it takes a look...

In this gallery, we look at how humans have made their private homes through history. From Denisova caves to Kikuyu huts, we see through archaeological remains, reconstruction images and pottery models what is often frequently lost to the...