Smarthistory – At the Capitoline Museums, Rome

Virtually explore these museums with Smarthistory as your guide

videos + essays

Does the abstraction of form and faraway look in this colossal portrait hint at the growth of Christianity in Rome?

How to represent an everyday moment—from the ancient world to the Renaissance

This ancient map served as an administrative tool for one of the largest empires in history.

This three-in-one temple to “Jupiter Best and Greatest,” Juno, and Minerva was central in ancient Roman religion.

Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, emerges from her bath, but what did her nudity mean to the Greeks?

Is this delicate female portrait what we think? Take part in a discussion of a masterpiece we know little about.

Abandoned as infants, the mythical founders of Rome were raised by a she-wolf.

Once identified as the founder of the Roman Republic, debate over this figure’s true identity rages on.

She’s a monster, but in this poignant marble bust, Medusa becomes a victim of her own plight.

Pain is visible on the face of this dying warrior. Did the ancient Greeks sympathize with their defeated enemies?

Due to a fortunate case of mistaken identity, this commanding statue was saved from destruction.