Ancient art from Egypt, the Near East, Scythia, Rome, Persia, China, Korea, and the Americas ongoing at the Saint Louis Art Museum in Saint Louis, Missouri

Ancient art from Egypt, the Near East, Scythia, Rome, Persia, China, Korea, and the Americas ongoing at the Saint Louis Art Museum in Saint Louis, Missouri. Objects include ceramics, glassware, sculptures, masks, artitectural elements, weapons, funerary art and artifacts used in daily life.


Image: A Bull's Head cast of solid copper from ancient Sumeria Early Dynastic III period, 2600-2450 BCE. The bull's massive head is emphasized by a stocky muzzle and shortened horns. The addition of a curled, wide beard looks curiously natural on an animal that symbolized the sky god An. As the embodiment of fertility and power, the bearded bull served as an ever-present symbol of divine protection and royal might through centuries of ancient Near Eastern art. Image courtesy of the Saint Louis Art Museum.

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