Best 1st Century

The Laocoön exemplifies Hellenistic sculpture’s dramatic intensity. This first-century BC marble artwork depicts the Trojan priest Laocoön battling enormous serpent figures sent by Athena to warn Aeneas against accepting hospitality in Troy. The sculpture's realism and emotional portrayal of struggl...

Approximately 1,800 carbonized papyrus scrolls recovered from the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, Italy, buried by Vesuvius in 79 CE and constituting the only substantially intact library from antiquity.

The frescoes of the House of the Vettii are an extensive ensemble of Roman wall paintings preserved in a large residence at Pompeii. Created before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, they decorate reception rooms, service areas, and private spaces with architectural frameworks, mythological na...

The Pilate Inscription, also known as the Pontius Pilate Stone, is a damaged limestone block discovered in 1961 at the archaeological site of Caesarea Maritima in Israel. The artifact bears a partially intact Latin inscription dedicating a building to Emperor Tiberius, which includes the name "Ponti...

The Al-Khazneh, or Treasury, is a remarkable rock-cut façade located within Petra, Jordan. Carved into rose-red sandstone during the 1st century CE by the Nabataean people, it represents a significant example of their architectural skill and water management techniques. This monumental structure ser...

The Domus Aurea frescoes are surviving wall and vault decorations from the palace complex built for the Roman emperor Nero after the fire of Rome in 64 CE. Their painted architecture, delicate figures, animals, plants, and fantastical hybrids became influential after Renaissance artists explored the...

Bath, historically known to the Romans as Aquae Sulis, is an archaeological and historical city located in Somerset, England. The site was developed by the Romans shortly after their invasion of Britain, around a naturally occurring thermal hot spring. It features a remarkably preserved bathhouse an...

Jerash is an ancient city and major archaeological site in Jordan, originally known as Gerasa. It is one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities in the Middle East and was part of the Decapolis. The ruins feature a distinctive oval public plaza, a long colonnaded street known as the Cardo maximus,...

A Nabataean archaeological site in the AlUla region of northwestern Saudi Arabia, featuring more than 100 rock-cut tomb facades dating primarily to the 1st century CE. Also known as Hegra, it was the southernmost major settlement of the Nabataean Kingdom and functioned as a caravan trade station sec...

The Arena of Verona is a Roman amphitheater located in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy. Built in the first century CE, the structure is one of the best-preserved ancient amphitheaters in existence. It originally hosted gladiatorial contests and could accommodate tens of thousands of spectators. Today, i...

The Arc de Triomphe d’Orange stands as a remarkable survivor from ancient Rome. Constructed around 10 BC under Emperor Augustus, this triumphal arch is one of the best-preserved Roman monuments in France. It was originally built to honor military victories and represents a significant example of Aug...

The Crown of Thorns is a thorny wreath believed to be associated with Jesus Christ’s Passion. It was acquired by Louis IX of France in 1239 and has been preserved at Notre-Dame de Paris since then. This relic, dating back to the 1st century, is venerated within Christian traditions as an instrument...

The House of the Vettii is a richly decorated Roman residence at Pompeii associated with the freedmen Aulus Vettius Conviva and Aulus Vettius Restitutus. A celebrated frieze shows cupids performing adult trades and crafts, including activities connected with wine, metalworking, perfume, and commerce...

Herculaneum is an exceptionally well-preserved Roman town located near modern Naples, Italy. The site offers a unique window into life in the 1st century CE due to the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE which rapidly buried it in pyroclastic flows. This preservation allows archaeologists t...

The Herculaneum Papyri comprise over 1,800 carbonized scrolls unearthed near Mount Vesuvius in Italy. Recovered from the Roman villa of the Papyri, these texts date to the 1st century AD and represent a remarkably preserved collection of Greek philosophical writings. Primarily containing works by St...

The Roman Baths at Bath are the remains of a Roman bathing complex built around thermal springs in England, developed after the conquest of 43 CE.

The Roman Theatre of Orange is an ancient Roman theater located in Orange, Provence, France, constructed during the 1st century AD under the reign of Emperor Augustus. It is distinguished by its exceptionally well-preserved stage wall, or frons scaenae, which stands 37 meters high and provides excep...

Villa Arianna is a large Roman residential complex at ancient Stabiae, near modern Castellammare di Stabia in Campania. It was buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE and was explored during excavations that began in the eighteenth century. The villa takes its modern name from a fresco...

Discovered in Jerusalem in 1990, this highly decorated ancient limestone box is inscribed with the name of Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest who presided over the trial of Jesus Christ.

Palmyra is an archaeological site located in Syria, once a vital desert caravan city. Flourishing under Roman influence from the 1st to 3rd centuries CE, it was notable for its impressive urban planning including a colonnaded street and religious structures like the Temple of Bel. The site offers in...

The Porta Palatina is an ancient Roman city gate located in Turin, Italy, dating back to the 1st century AD. It features two prominent sixteen-sided brick towers and a central double-arched passage flanked by two smaller pedestrian archways. Originally serving as a main entrance to the Roman colony...

Porta Maggiore is a monumental Roman gateway in Rome built by Emperor Claudius around AD 52 as part of the city's aqueduct system. It was constructed to carry the Aqua Claudia and the Anio Novus, two of Rome's major aqueducts, over two roads, the Via Praenestina and the Via Labicana. The structure h...

The House of the Tragic Poet is a Roman residence in Pompeii noted for its elaborate mythological decoration despite its relatively modest size. Its surviving paintings belong largely to the Fourth Style and include scenes associated with the Trojan War, sacrifice, marriage, and theatrical performan...

Las Médulas is a historic gold-mining landscape located in the León province of Spain. During the 1st to 3rd centuries AD, the Roman Empire extracted gold here using "ruina monticorum," a destructive hydraulic mining technique that involved pumping water to erode entire mountainsides. This intensive...

Baalbek is a significant archaeological site in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. It features remarkably preserved Roman temples, particularly the Temple of Jupiter, one of the largest and most impressive structures ever built. Construction began in the 1st century BCE and continued for centuries. The site sh...

The Arch of Titus inscription is a marble plaque documenting the Roman emperor Domitian’s dedication to the arch honoring his brother Titus. Crafted in Latin, this 1st-century CE inscription details Titus's victory during the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. It provides valuable insight...

The Birth of Venus fresco is the principal garden painting in the House of Venus in the Shell at Pompeii, a Roman residence buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. It shows Venus reclining in a large shell on the sea, accompanied by figures associated with the marine setting, while a gard...

The Holy Lance is the spear traditionally identified with the weapon used to pierce the side of Jesus during the Crucifixion, an episode described in the Gospel of John, although the soldier is not named there. Later Christian tradition identifies him as Longinus. Several institutions possess object...

The Roman Baths complex in Bath, Somerset, England, is a remarkably preserved bathing and religious site dating to the 1st century CE. Built around a natural hot spring sacred to the goddess Sulis Minerva, it comprises the sacred spring, a Roman temple, and the bath house. Visitors can view the orig...