Antiquities Exhibits

Archaic period Greek helmet with ram's head, 525-500 BCE at the Saint Louis Art Museum in Saint Louis, Missouri. This bronze Archaic Period helmet with a ram's head was excavated in Metaponto (ancient Metapontum) in the southern region of Italy known as Magna Graecia. The size of its decorative element indicates it was probably worn for ceremonial purposes rather than in actual combat. It was made by hammering a single sheet  of bronze, which makes it extremely light and unsuitable as actual armor. Additional decoration was added using a series of common metalworking techniques such as repoussée, punching, tracing, and engraving. The ram’s head on top, whose horns, ears, and eyes have been restored, is mirrored by the attached ram’s head cheek pieces. The selection of the ram to adorn a military-style helmet is fitting since the animals have a double-layered skull which helps protect them from injury. Image courtesy of the museum.

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 emphasi zed 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.