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Opposite Alexander meets the Brahmans. Firdawsi, Shahnamah (‘Book of Kings’). Rajaur, northern India, 1719.

Alexander the Great in Persia and beyond

Alexander the Great’s ambitions of conquest took him far from his Macedonian home and into Asia and Babylon, where he died. Ursula Sims-Williams investigates the mythical legacy of Alexander in the East, where different traditions cast him variously as an accursed figure, a philosopher-king, and even a prophet.

Above Henry Fuseli, The Vision of Catherine of Aragon. Oil on canvas, 1781. Size: 151 x 212.1cm

Shock and awe: the imaginative work of Henry Fuseli

The drawings and paintings of Romantic-era artist Henry Fuseli showcase his fascination with fantasy, expression, and elaborate hairstyles. Lucia Marchini takes a look at the imaginative work of the artist, and how he challenged conventions in public and private.

Santa Costanza, c.1710-1730

Among the early Christian catacombs in northern Rome, beyond the walls of the ancient city, are those of the Sant’Agnese fuori le mura complex. It is here along the via Nomentana that St Agnes of Rome is said to have…

ABove Hilda Petrie (1871 1956) climbs down a rope ladder into an excavation shaft.

Hilda Petrie (1871-1956)

Having learnt Arabic, Hilda would hire and pay their workers. She slept in a hut at Tarkhan with 80 skulls by her bed, living off canned pilchards and bully beef.

LEFT The Colossi of Memnon, built c.1360 BC. These two quartzite sandstone statues of King Amenhotep III, each 18m in height, once flanked the entrance through the first pylon of his mortuary temple at Kom el Hettân in Western Thebes. A diminutive figure of Amenhotep’s queen, Tiye, stands by the king’s legs.

Chariot kings: the image of the pharaohs

From Ahmose I to Horemheb, the depiction of kings in Egypt’s 18th Dynasty was a tale of tradition and innovation. Even as the image of the chariot-riding warrior pharaoh became entrenched, there were more radical changes to come with the Amarna style of Akhenaten, as Guy de la Bédoyère explains.

1922.5377 Didrachm (Coin) Depicting the God Janus

Janus: two-faced god of beginnings

As we enter a new year, many of us find ourselves both reflecting on the past and making plans for the future. This dual outlook is embodied by the two-faced god Janus, who governed the first month of the year in ancient Rome

Treasures of Ukraine: A Nation’s Cultural Heritage

Review by Lucia Marchini As well as death and displacement, conflict brings with it a threat to cultural heritage. Nearly one year on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this timely and attractive volume (with profits donated to the organisation…

Left Head of a Kushan prince from Dalverzin Tepe. Unfired clay with traces of paint, 1st 2nd century AD. Size: 49cm tall

Caravan kings: exploring ancient Uzbekistan

Sculptures of kings and princes and murals of delegations of ambassadors paint a detailed picture of the wealth, influences, and connections of Uzbekistan’s oasis cities. Lucia Marchini speaks to Yannick Lintz and Rocco Rante to find out more.

Royal hall revealed at Rendlesham

Excavations at Rendlesham in eastern England have unearthed the remains of a high-status early medieval settlement, including a royal hall built for the first kings of East Anglia.

ABOVE Wall painting showing an actor with a mask, found in Pompeii. 1st century AD, Fourth Style. Size: 45 x 35cm

Painting Pompeii

Richly painted frescoes enlivened the often dark and claustrophobic rooms of Roman houses. How was this interior world of colour created? Dalu Jones celebrates the triumph of Pompeii and Herculaneum’s frescoes.