Collections

In this gallery, we present many fine examples of paintings from the Mughal Empire (1526-1857). Espoused and cultivated by the Mughal court, the artform married the bold styles of classical Indian miniature painting...

Ghosts, demons, spirits, and monsters have been haunting humanity for at least 3,500 years. The so-called “Ghost Tablet” (c. 1500 BCE), from ancient Babylon, depicts a woman leading a ghost to the underworld...

The myths and legends of ancient Greece included a wide variety of fearsome creatures and monsters, such as dragons, giants, demons, and multiformed beings like the sphinx, minotaur, centaurs, and...

Wild cats were most likely domesticated in Mesopotamia c. 12,000 BCE, but, like the dog, there is no scholarly consensus on where or when domestication first took place. All that is certain is that cats and humans...

Humans have been manufacturing weapons since before recorded history. The oldest evidence of weaponry comes from Schöningen, Germany, in the form of four wooden spears dated to c. 400,000 BCE. Stone tips...

Walls in the ancient world were built around cities or territories for defense but also served many other purposes, such as enclosing temples, surrounding palaces, enclosing tombs, providing people with...

Humans arrived in the region now known as Ireland c. 7000-6500 BCE at modern-day Coleraine in the north, establishing communities and gradually moving southwards. Hunter-gatherers eventually adopted an agrarian...

Dragons appear in the myths and legends of civilizations around the world from ancient times to the present day. Like the lion in ancient Mesopotamia, the dragon in some cultures (notably China) came to be...

Scotland has a rich history dating back to seasonal settlements around c. 10,500 BCE and permanent residences by c. 7000 BCE. Neolithic ceremonial sites such as the Ness of Brodgar were established...

Ancient Egyptian burial practices were observed as early as the Predynastic Period in Egypt (c. 6000 to c. 3150 BCE) and continued through the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE), serving to not...