On this web-page you can tour Greek and Roman collections of several archeological museums (especially those in Turkey). You will see photos of gods, emperors, and other statues, reliefs, and monuments. The iconography (picture-language) of these pieces communicates important insights about the social lives and religious mentalities of men and women in the ancient world. This also sheds light on the cultural context of early Christianity and Judaism in the cities of the Roman empire. Jews and Christians, like their neighbours, would encounter many images such as these as they walked the city streets in ancient times.
To tour a particular museum, simply click on the corresponding photos to the right. A new window will open for the tour. To view many other photos and to read about life in the Greco-Roman world, especially religion, consult other sections of this website, beginning with the topics page or home page.
This is a not-for-profit, educational site with no direct relation to the museums in question. It is hoped, however, that these partial photographic tours may inspire actual visits to the museums to experience the full collections. All photographs were taken with permission from museum staff, whom I would like to thank. The photographs are copyright Philip A. Harland, 2004. For further information on collections in these museums see the works listed in the bibliography (museums section), which were consulted in the creation of this webpage.
