Sources tell us that painting was the Greek’s finest art form: is this a hint at what we’re missing?
Ancient Greece: c. 800 – 31 B.C.E.
The mausoleum of Antiochus I is one of the most ambitious constructions of the Hellenistic period.
Nemrut Dağ (tomb of King Antiochus I ...
What was going on around the world during the time of archaic Greece?
Tiny timeline: Archaic Greece in a global ...
From 600 to 480 B.C.E., ancient Greek cemeteries and sanctuaries were filled with marble statues of beautiful young men and women.
Kouroi and Korai, an introduction
Greek gods battle Giants for supremacy of the universe, so deeply carved that they almost step out into our world.
The Pergamon Altar
On the island of Samothrace, the wind whipped the clothing of this stone goddess of victory.
Nike (Winged Victory) of Samothrace
How to represent an everyday moment—from the ancient world to the Renaissance
A moment in time that’s lasted 2,000 ...
Standing more than 6’ tall, the statues of Kleobis and Biton had a commanding presence that would encourage passersby to stop and look at their images.
The Kouroi of Kleobis and Biton
Ancient Greek sanctuaries housed colossal cult images, temples, treasuries, and copious cult accoutrements, but they were also important artistic hubs.
Greek sanctuaries as artistic hubs
Zeus, Hera, and more than 100 gods, heroes, and monsters enact ancient Greek mythology on the surface of this vase.
The François Vase: story book of Greek ...
The Parthenon has echoed through history, but what part of that history do we prize, and which do we ignore?
Destruction, Memory, and Monuments: The Many Lives ...
A magnificent original 4th century Greek bronze lost at sea
The Antikythera Youth
Preconceived notions of Black people are seared into our country’s collective consciousness; without an overhaul of the “black=slaves in perpetuity” trope, damaging stereotypes become ossified as facts for future generations.
Black Figures in Classical Greek Art
Taken from Greece, confiscated by an emperor and returned to the people.
How an ancient Greek bronze ended up ...
Athenian vases provide a step-by-step guide preparing the dead to reach the afterlife.
Commemorating the Dead in Greek Geometric Art
Ancient Greeks made them, Ottomans captured them, Venetians blew them up, and the British took them away.
Who owns the Parthenon sculptures?
Gods carry away the dead on a pot looted from a tomb, trafficked out of Italy, bought by the Met, and finally returned.
Euphronios, Sarpedon Krater
This pot stood above a grave, and the female mourners depicted on it tear out their hair in grief.
Terracotta Krater
Through interactions with other Mediterranean cultures, ancient Greek potters developed new techniques.
Sophilos: a new direction in Greek pottery
Explore ancient Greece as it evolved from small city-states to an empire spanning the Mediterranean world.
Browse Smarthistory images for teaching & learning!
