Ancient art is not merely a collection of artefacts ... Each piece holds within it the aspirations, fears, and triumphs of a bygone era. For example, the stunning cave paintings found in places ...

The styles of ancient Greek pottery and the strange effigies of the Olympic god Hermes which were used in ways few moderns ...

The art of ancient Egypt, with its iconic pyramids ... The Parthenon, the Venus de Milo, and the Discus Thrower are just a ...

The funerary stele of Mnesagora and Nikochares, an ancient Greek marble relief from Vari, near Athens,is a stunning example ...

What it tells us about the past: This marble statuette depicts a dwarf-dancer, which was a common motif in ancient Mediterranean art. But while examples from Greece were usually exaggerated or ...