Best 1ST Century Bc
The Villa of the Mysteries frescoes offer a remarkable glimpse into first-century BC Roman life. Located near Pompeii, these remarkably preserved wall paintings depict a complex scene believed to represent an initiation ritual for a Dionysiac mystery cult. The artwork’s detail and survival provide v...
Augustus, born Gaius Octavius and later known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor, ruling from 27 BCE until 14 CE. After defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra, he ended the civil wars that had dismantled the Roman Republic and established the Principate, a monarchy presented through republican of...
A large ancient Roman floor mosaic found at Pompeii, dating to around 100 BCE and believed copied from a Hellenistic painting, depicting the Battle of Issus between Alexander the Great and Darius III.
The frescoes of the Villa of Oplontis decorate a large Roman residential complex at Torre Annunziata near Pompeii, traditionally associated with Poppaea Sabina. Buried during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE, the villa preserves elaborate architectural paintings, especially examples of the Roman Se...
The Boscoreale frescoes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are Roman wall paintings removed from the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor near Boscoreale, north of Pompeii. Painted during the first century BC, they are major examples of the Second Pompeian Style, which used architectural perspective, columns...
The Dambulla cave temple complex in central Sri Lanka contains five principal cave sanctuaries decorated with extensive Buddhist murals and numerous statues. Although the site has ancient origins, much of the surviving painted decoration reflects repeated renovation and repainting over later centuri...
The Odyssey Landscapes are fragments of a Roman wall-painting cycle discovered on the Esquiline Hill in Rome and now preserved in the Vatican Museums. Dating to the late Republican period, the surviving panels place episodes from Homer's Odyssey within expansive landscapes and identify figures with...
The Hildesheim Silver Treasure is a large cache of Roman silver tableware discovered in Germany in 1868, dating to around the 1st century BCE to 1st century CE, and prized for the quality of its embossed mythological decoration.
The Arch of Augustus stands in Aosta, Italy, representing a significant piece of Roman imperial architecture. Constructed around 25 BC, it honors Emperor Augustus and commemorates the establishment of the Augusta Praetoria colony. This structure provides insight into early Roman expansion and admini...
The Gate of Mazaeus and Mithridates is a Roman triumphal arch located in the ancient city of Ephesus, in modern Turkey. It was built in 3 BC by two freedmen, Mazaeus and Mithridates, to honor Emperor Augustus, his wife Livia, and his son-in-law Marcus Agrippa. The gate features a triple-bay design a...
The Arch of Augustus in Rimini, Italy, is a Roman triumphal arch constructed in 27 BC. It was commissioned by the Roman Senate to honor Emperor Augustus and marks the terminus of the Via Flaminia, a major Roman road connecting the capital to the Adriatic coast. The structure is notable for its archi...
Alesia is an archaeological hilltop site in Burgundy, France, identified as the location of the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BCE. Julius Caesar's Roman forces besieged and defeated the Gallic coalition led by Vercingetorix here, utilizing an extensive system of circumvallation and contravallation...
Porte Auguste is a surviving Roman city gate in Nîmes, southern France, constructed around 15 BC during the reign of Augustus. It formed part of the ancient defensive walls and stood on the Via Domitia, the Roman road connecting Italy with the Iberian Peninsula. Its facade contains two broad central...
Tigranes II, commonly called Tigranes the Great, ruled Armenia from 95 to 55 BC as a monarch of the Artaxiad dynasty. Through conquest and alliances, he created an empire extending from the Caucasus and Caspian region toward Syria and the Mediterranean, and adopted the title King of Kings. His expan...
Cleopatra VII was the last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, reigning from 51 to 30 BCE within a dynasty of Macedonian Greek origin. She governed during the Roman Republic's civil wars and formed political and personal alliances first with Julius Caesar and later with Mark Antony. After Octavian defe...
The Arch of Augustus is a Roman triumphal arch located in the town of Susa, in the Piedmont region of Italy. Erected in 8 BC, the monument was built to commemorate a peace treaty between Emperor Augustus and the local Alpine tribes ruled by King Cottius. The arch is distinguished by its unusually ta...
The Arch of the Sergii is a Roman triumphal arch situated at the southeast entrance to the old town of Pula, Croatia. Constructed around 27 BC, the monument was commissioned by Salvia Postuma, a wealthy citizen, to honor three members of the influential Sergii family, including her husband, Lucius S...
A Roman gate in Verona dating to the 1st century BC whose lower portion remains visible in the city; its name derives from a lion's head relief found nearby.
The Arch of Augustus in Fano, Italy, is a Roman city gate built in 9 AD by order of Emperor Augustus to mark the end of the Via Flaminia.
