Chrysanthemums in Porcelain: A Ming Dynasty Bowl from China

The Bowl with Chrysanthemums, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an elegant example of Chinese ceramic artistry from the late 14th century during the Ming dynasty. The bowl is made of porcelain painted with copper-red decoration beneath a transparent glaze, a technique associated with the famous kilns of Jingdezhen. The exterior of […]
Temples of Mesopotamia: The Economic, Political, and Educational Heart of the First Cities

When we think of ancient temples, we generally imagine the Parthenon in Athens or the Pantheon in Rome: monumental structures dedicated to powerful gods where priests performed rituals to appease them. Yet in ancient Mesopotamia, at the onset of urban civilization starting in the 4th millennium BCE, temples were more than just religious centers. They […]