This small temple is a rare surviving example from the Roman Republic. It is both innovative and traditional.
ARCHES Backstories: additional endangered objects and sites
One of the most precious artifacts from Sumer, the Warka Vase was looted and almost lost forever.
Warka Vase
These images carved into the desert floor cannot be truly appreciated from the ground—so who were they made for?
Nasca Geoglyphs
These records tell us a great deal about the ancient world, with topics ranging from receipts to school assignments.
Cuneiform Tablets
Images on rocks in the Sahara provide a glimpse into the development of humans in this now barren land.
Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus (Libya)
This plaque depicting the Oba (king) and his imperial retinue hung outside the palace, detailing dynastic history.
Benin plaque: Equestrian Oba and Attendants
Winged, human-headed bulls served as guardians of the city and its palace—walking by, they almost seem to move.
Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II
Once identified as the founder of the Roman Republic, debate over this figure’s true identity rages on.
Capitoline Brutus
Found in an artist’s studio, this stunning bust exemplifies a change in style, and may have been an early prototype.
Thutmose, Model Bust of Queen Nefertiti
Wagner was no fan of the superfluous, and believed that every aspect of a building should be functional.
Otto Wagner, Postal Savings Bank
These colossal figures presided over the Bamiyan Valley for over 1000 years; the Taliban demolished them in 2001.
Bamiyan Buddhas
The Mexica were long-distance traders, and Tenochtitlan received luxury goods from distant conquered cities.
Aztec feathered headdress
The largest mud-built structure in the world, the Great Mosque of Djenné has been reconstructed multiple times.
Great Mosque of Djenné (Djenné peoples)
Located at a desert crossroads along the Silk Road, these famous caves boast wall paintings and colorful sculpture.
Mogao caves at Dunhuang
The Inka emperor hosted feasts, performed religious ceremonies, and ruled his empire from this remote citadel.
Machu Picchu
This nearly 2000-year-old old textile survives thanks to the arid environment of southern Peru where it was buried.
The Paracas Textile
Love, fear, indignation, and grief. Leonardo weaves together a wide spectrum of human emotion.
Leonardo, Last Supper
This huge white-marble mausoleum is recognized the world over for its splendor, symmetry, and stunning gardens.
The Taj Mahal
On the doorway, sinners shuffle to their doom. Beneath, hellfire burns—its brighter, now, thanks to restoration.
Saint Trophime, Arles
Rising out of the Western Desert—the only remaining monument of the ancient Seven Wonders, the Great Pyramids.
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