with the Queen or a Princess, c. 1,570–1,320 BCE.
Ancient Egyptian, (18th dynasty). Limestone, height: 39.5 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
13. Anonymous, Relief of Humbaba, first half of 2nd millennium BCE.
Ancient Near East, Mesopotamia. Moulded terracotta. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
14. Anonymous, Prehistoric Version of the Kiss, c. 1,000 BCE.
Bronze Age. Vitlycke Rock Carvings near Tanum (Sweden). In situ.
15. Anonymous, The Cosmic Union of Geb and Nut (detail from an Egyptian papyrus), c. 1,025 BCE.
Ancient Egyptian. Vignette, 53 × 93 cm. The British Museum, London.
16. Anonymous, The Sounion Kouros, c. 600 BCE.
Ancient Greek. Marble, height: 305 cm. National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Athens.
17. Anonymous, Kleobis and Biton, c. 610–580 BCE.
Ancient Greek. Apollo Sanctuary, Delphi (Greece). Marble, height: 218 cm. Archaeological Museum of Delphi, Delphi.
Kleobis and Biton are life-size statues that were found in the sanctuary at Delphi. An inscription identifies the artist as coming from Argos, on the Peloponnesus. The sculptures’ origin in Argos links them to the mythical twins Kleobis and Biton. These young men from Argos were said to pull a cart a full five miles in order to bring their mother to a festival dedicated to the goddess Hera. In return, Hera granted the men what was seen as a great gift: a gentle death while sleeping. The brothers fell asleep after the festival and never woke up. Their great strength, devotion to their mother, and their early deaths were memorialised in dedicatory statues offered at the great sanctuary at Delphi, according to the historian Herodotus. These statues, which may be those described by Herodotus, are close in date to the Dipylon Head and share the same Egyptian style and decorative, incised details.
18. Anonymous, Kouros, known as Apollo from Tenea, c. 560–550 BCE.
Ancient Greek. Marble, height: 153 cm. Glyptothek, Munich.
19. Anonymous, Kouros of Kroisos, c. 530 BCE.
Ancient Greek. Anavyssos, Attica. Marble, height: 194 cm. National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Athens.
20. Anonymous, The Kritios Boy, c. 480–470 BCE.
Ancient Greek. Marble, height: 116 cm. Acropolis Museum, Athens.
21. Anonymous, Sarcophagus of a Couple from Cerveteri, c. 520–510 BCE.
Ancient Etruscan. Painted terracotta, 111 × 194 × 69 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Though their civilisation flourished alongside that of the Greeks, our limited understanding of Etruscan language and culture has left a veil of mystery over the people who lived in Italy before the Roman Republic. Their art was strongly influenced by that of the Greeks, as evidenced by this terracotta sarcophagus with its echoes of the style of the Greek Archaic period. In Etruscan sculpture, however, we find more lively subjects, like this couple, animated in their easy affection for each other. Like so much of Etruscan art, this is a funerary piece, designed for placement in one of the elaborate tombs the Etruscans carved out of the soft volcanic bedrock of central Italy. It reveals the Etruscan view of the afterlife: an eternal party, where men and women would lounge at a banquet, enjoying good food, drink, and the company of their loved ones.
22. Anonymous, Dying Warrior, c. 500–480 BCE.
Ancient Greek. Temple of Aphaia, Aegina. Marble, height: 185 cm. Glyptothek, Munich.
Greek temples often featured large sculptures decorating the pediment, the triangular space under the eave of the roof. The first examples of pedimental sculpture show that the early artists were not adept at filling the awkward triangular space with a cohesive composition; the figures in the corners were shrunk to a diminutive scale in comparison to the central figures. However, in this pediment group from the end of the Archaic period, the sculptors showed new skill in conceiving the composition. The central figures, not shown, engage in lively battle, lunging and parrying with swords and shields. One archer crouches to take aim, his low position allowing him to fit into the smaller space toward the corner of the pediment. The Dying Warrior next to him fills that corner, the angle of his falling body perfectly fitting into the smallest part of the pediment. A single, cohesive narrative is thereby created across the triangular space, telling the story of a battle fought by local heroes.
23. Anonymous, Marble low-relief. Ancient Etruscan.
The Tomb of the Bulls, Tarquinia (Italy).
24. Euaichme Painter, Man Offering a Gift to a Youth, c. 530–430 BCE.
Ancient Greek. Athenian goblet with red figures. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
25. Anonymous, Man and Ephebe Having a Conversation, c. 420 BCE.
Ancient Greek. Dish with red figures (detail). Musée Municipal, Laon.
26. Euphronios, Ephebes at the Bath, Ancient Greek. c. 505–500 BCE.
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin.
27. Triptolemus Painter, Attican goblet (detail).
Ancient Greek. Museo Nazionale Tarquiniese, Tarquinia (Italy).
28. Anonymous, Scene of Debauchery, 510–500 BCE.
Goblet with red figures (detail). Ancient Greek. Private collection.
29. Brygos Painter, Erastes Soliciting an Eromenos. Attican goblet (detail).
Ancient Greek. The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
30. Anonymous, Satyr, 470 BCE.
Ancient Greek. Bronze. Private collection, Athens.
31. Anonymous, after Myron, Discobolus, c. 450 BCE.
Ancient Greek.
