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Achilles returning Briseis to Agamemnon Detail of a fresco from the House of the Tragic Poet, Pompeii; 1st BCE
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Achilles returning Briseis to Agamemnon Detail of a fresco from the House of th...

Alexander the Great (336-323 BCE), statue; 4th century BCE.
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Alexander the Great (336-323 BCE), statue; 4th century BCE.

Marble sculpture of horse and headless horseman, possibly young Alexander the Great (336-323 BCE); 4th century BCE.
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Marble sculpture of horse and headless horseman, possibly young Alexander the Gr...

Limestone relief of the Battle of Issos (also known as Battle of Issus), 5 November 333 BCE. between the troops of Alexander the Great (336-323 BCE) and Darius III of Persia (380-330 BCE); end of the 2nd century.
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Limestone relief of the Battle of Issos (also known as Battle of Issus), 5 Novem...

Hellenistic cameo in agate. Aexander wears horns, denoting the Egyptian God Amun.
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Hellenistic cameo in agate. Aexander wears horns, denoting the Egyptian God Amu...

Bimaran Reliquary, from stupa 2 at Bimaran, Gandhara (Afghanistan). The inscription on the steatite casket in which the reliquary was kept, states that it contained some of the bones of the Buddha; when found in the 19th century, the bones were missing, but there were burnt pearls, beads of precious and semi-precious stones and four coins, which date the reliquary to about 50 CE. In the central arch the Buddha, with two figures facing him on either side. OA 1900.2-9.1
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Bimaran Reliquary, from stupa 2 at Bimaran, Gandhara (Afghanistan). The inscrip...

Dark grey schist head from a statue of the Buddha, 2nd CE Gandhara, India. This sculpture, like most of the Buddhist art from Gandhara, can be dated between the first to the fifth centuries. As a result of the various cultures that settled or moved along the trade routes in the region, the sculptures have taken on a distinctive style, combining Graeco-Roman, Indian, Chinese and Central Asian influences. OA 1929.11-4.1
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Dark grey schist head from a statue of the Buddha, 2nd CE Gandhara, India. This...

Schist head of the fasting Buddha, Pakistan, 2nd-3rd CE. It captures the time when the Buddha pursued austerities. He then realized that the "Middle Way", a more moderate life of meditation and moral conduct led to nirvana. This "Middle Way" is still a key feature of Buddhism today. OA 1907.12-28.1
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Schist head of the fasting Buddha, Pakistan, 2nd-3rd CE. It captures the time w...

Limestone panel depicting the Buddhapada, from the Great Stupa at Amaravati, 1st BCE. At the centre of each foot is a finely spoked dharmachakra, the Wheel of Law set in motion when the Buddha gave his first sermon. On the heels are triratnas flanked by swastikas. The triratnas represent the three jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha himself, his dharma (teachings) and the sangha, the community of Buddhist monks. OA 1880.7-9.57
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Limestone panel depicting the Buddhapada, from the Great Stupa at Amaravati, 1st...

Carving of the Great Stupa on a limestone slab, 3rd CE. An image of the Buddha stands in the entrance to the stupa being worshipped. Lions on pillars guard the entrance. Celestial beings and dwarf yakshas (nature deities) surround the stupa. Reliefs such as this one permits one to reconstruct what the Great Stupa, built in the 2nd to 1st BCE, looked like. OA 1880.7-9.79
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Carving of the Great Stupa on a limestone slab, 3rd CE. An image of the Buddha s...

Grey schist relief panel depicting the maha-pari-nirvana, the Buddha's physical passing from this world. The grieving figures that surround the dying Buddha include prnces, beggars and lay-followers. In front of the couch on which he lies are the monk Ananda and the nun Subhadra. OA 1913.11-8.17
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Grey schist relief panel depicting the maha-pari-nirvana, the Buddha's physical...

Bronze statue of Buddha, the Deccan, India, 8th CE. The right hand of the statue is shown in the gesture of charity (varadamudra). The Buddha's robes are barely visible and his right shoulder is bare. Buddhism began to decline in India after the 5th century and the collapse of the Gupta Empire. This image is evidence for the continued practice of Buddhism in southern India into the 8th century. OA 1905.12-18.1
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Bronze statue of Buddha, the Deccan, India, 8th CE. The right hand of the statue...