Virtually explore the National Archaeological Museum in Naples with Smarthistory as your guide
Some background
videos + essays
Link to the National Archaeological Museum of Naples' website
Polykleitos, Doryphoros (Spear-Bearer)
For the ancient Greeks, the human body was perfect. Explore this example of the mathematical source of ideal beauty.
An Indian ivory statuette in Pompeii
In 1938, an excavation at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii revealed a small carved ivory of Indian origin.
Alexander Mosaic from the House of the Faun, Pompeii
Sources tell us that painting was the Greek’s finest art form: is this a hint at what we’re missing?
Still Life with Peaches
Hospitality was key in ancient Rome, and this wall painting shows the gifts that guests may have received.
Lysippos, Farnese Hercules
Weary from his labors, Hercules leans on his club, with hints of his heroic trials hidden in plain sight.
