Categories
Art
Victor Horta: The Key European Art Nouveau Architect
Brussels was the cradle of Art Nouveau that spread across the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. …
Dodona: The Oldest Oracle in Greece
Set in a narrow valley against the eastern slopes of the Pindos Mountains, Dodona is the oldest oracle in Greece, …
The Fortress Monastery of Akhtala, Armenia
Akhtala Monastery (“Coppermine Monastery”) is a 10th-century fortified Armenian Apostolic Church monastery. The fortress played a major role in protecting …
Madina Kasimbaeva: Master of Uzbek Suzani Embroidery
Suzani (from ‘suzan’, the Farsi word for needle) is a silk-thread needlework, but for most collectors, the word has a …
Phoenicia, Carthage and the Mediterranean. Part II: The Mediterranean Setting
Edited version of an article written by Christopher Wood The Mediterranean is the vestige of a far greater primeval sea, …
Philippi: Christianity from the Blood of Legionaries
Ancient Philippi lies about 15 km inland from today’s harbour town of Kavala in northern Greece. It sits on the …
Tōfuku-ji Hojo Gardens – A Masterpiece of Zen Modernism
Tōfuku-ji, founded in 1235 by the powerful Fujiwara clan, is one of Kyoto’s great Zen temples. Its Hojo gardens, the …
Egypt: In the Footsteps of Akhenaten and Nefertiti
Partially opened in late 2024, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), located near the Pyramids of Giza, is set to …
Discover the Cultural Treasures of Cyprus
Nestled strategically in the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus has long been a coveted prize for expanding empires. For over 2,000 years, …
Maintaining the World: Greek Gods – Part II
To the Greek way of thinking Gaia, the Earth, is the primordial Mother, the uncaused cause. Self-created out of the …
Lectures
Fresco Painting in the Veneto
Some of Italy’s most celebrated paintings were created using the ancient technique of fresco, of which a significant number are located in the Veneto.
Caravaggio in Sicily
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is one of art history’s most fascinating personalities: a painter of genius and a man possessed of a violent, mercurial temperament.
Everywhere the Glint of Gold
After its long awaited opening, the Grand Egyptian Museum is now open and for the first time all the treasures from Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb are on display together. In this lecture Lucia reveals many lesser-known but wonderful items.
From desert trails to ocean sails
The distinctive landscapes of Oman were shaped by the ancient trade routes that crossed them, conveying luxury goods such as spices, textiles and incense between Africa, Arabia and the wider world of the Indian Ocean.
Paintings in Stone
Between the 2nd and the 4th centuries CE, the mosaic workshops in the cities of the Roman Provinces of Africa (modern western Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco) excelled in the production of high quality coloured figurative and geometric pattern mosaics