Inscription Gallery

Et in Arcadia Ego, c1650. Artist: Nicolas Poussin

Et in Arcadia Ego, c1650. The painting, also known as The Arcadian Shepherds, shows a Greek mythological scene in which a group of shepherds inspects an inscribed coffin. Et in Arcadia Ego has variously been translated as I, too, in Arcadia, I am also in Arcadia or I am even in Arcadia. One interpretation of the meaning is that the person buried in the tomb has lived in Arcadia, that is, the dead person once enjoyed the pleasures of life on earth

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The black obelisk of Shalmaneser III

The black obelisk of Shalmaneser III. The obelisk is attributed to the Assyrian king who receives the tribute of Jehu, king of Israel. The detail shows men driving an elephant and three monkeys, offerings to the Assyrian king. The bottom panel shows, according to inscription, tribute bearers carrying silver, gold, tin and wooden hunting spears. Culture: Assyrian. Date/Period: Late Assyrian 858-824 BC. Place of Origin: Nimrud, Assyria, Ancient Iraq. Material Size: Stone. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive/ British Museum, London . Location: 11

© Werner Forman Archive / Heritage-Images

Kantharos (Drinking Cup), 310-280 BCE. Creator: Unknown

Kantharos (Drinking Cup), 310-280 BCE. Cream-colored cup with a small round foot and a thin stem. Two thin arms flare up and out from mid-cup in a "V" shape and bend inward without reconnecting to the cup. The cup's opening tapers in before flaring out again at the lip. Greek letters are inscribed on the cup between the arms and lip

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