• Delight: Looking at a painting up close that another human being — one who was quite different than I — created two or three thousand thousand years ago rarely fails to take my breath away. Imagining the circumstances that led to its creation or the thoughts of the artist during the process connect me with a past that might otherwise have been forgotten.
• Sorrow: Many of these works of art are damaged or marred, some beyond almost all recognition. So much from the ancient world has been lost, so much beauty destroyed by wars, by religious persecution, by neglect. I always long to see more of this painting, the missing pieces of that sculpture — plus every other item that has not survived at all.

British Museum (London)

A frieze depicting a religious procession ran all the way around the ancient Parthenon, underneath the eaves of the roof. Pieces from this frieze are on display at the British Museum. All the figures in the procession are heading east, and the gods recline on their couches over the east entrance. (Learn more about the Parthenon frieze.)

Even though it’s not technically art and not really all that exciting to look at, the Rosetta Stone is quite an extremely important find: it contains the same decree written in both Greek and Egyptian and helped scholars learn to decipher hieroglyphics.

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)

The ancient Egypt collection at the Met is quite extensive. (The web site has plenty of information about the collection, including pictures and details about fifty pieces.) One of the most fascinating items is the Temple of Dendur. This temple was built around two thousand years ago and moved to New York in the 1970s: this is the real building from Egypt, not a reproduction.

I stood for some time at the entrance to the room containing this temple, watching people walk around the corner and catch their first glimpse of it. Their countenances almost always changed from tedious boredom to overwhelming wonder. It is quite an exhibit that can produce that same sense of awe — even if just for a moment — that an ancient worshiper would have felt approaching the temple.

Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas)

Through October 7, 2007, the Dallas Museum of Art has an exhibit called “From the Ashes of Vesuvius, In Stabiano”. This exhibit contains ancient art taken from the villas of Rome’s rich and famous in this seaside town buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Many of these ancient painting contain familiar figures from mythology (such as Diana, Perseus, and Neptune).

It’s difficult to photograph an event like this from far away with bad lighting using a camera for regular consumers, but I was happy with how some of the pictures I took turned out. (Some day take I’ll a photography class and get some add-on lenses or something.)

A series of fortunate events enabled me to get third-row tickets to this sold-out show on its last weekend on Broadway. I thoroughly enjoyed the story: a shallow and empty alcoholic seeks redemption in the arms of a most unlikely woman. I thought the play was too long and a bit over-acted: the core “myth” of the play was excellent even if the “vehicle” was not as much to my liking (see my article “Lewis On Myth” for more information about this distinction). I admit, though, I am no expert on plays — I have much more experience with movies. All in all, it was a great experience!