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Great ancient works of art you can see on a cruise

  1. Pompeii wall painting at the British Museum in London.
    01 Pompeii wall painting at the British Museum in London. © Creative Commons BY
  2. Feel like Indiana Jones when Seabourn ship docks at Petra, Jordan, and you come face to face with The Treasury, an iconic structure with intricate carvings and columns. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.
    02 Feel like Indiana Jones when Seabourn ship docks at Petra, Jordan, and you come face to face with The Treasury, an iconic structure with intricate carvings and columns. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. © Courtesy of Seabourn Cruise Line
  3. The Greek goddess Nike at Ephesus, Turkey.
    03 The Greek goddess Nike at Ephesus, Turkey. © GoTurkey.com
  4. Ram statues at Karnak Temple complex at Luxor, Egypt.
    04 Ram statues at Karnak Temple complex at Luxor, Egypt. © Creative Commons BY-SA
  5. Near the first level of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are huge bas-relief friezes with figures and scenes derived from Hindu traditions.
    05 Near the first level of Angkor Wat in Cambodia are huge bas-relief friezes with figures and scenes derived from Hindu traditions. © Creative Commons BY-ND
  6. The Venus de Milo (created 130-100 BC, discovered on the small Aegean island of Melos in 1820) is believed to depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. See it at the Louvre in Paris.
    06 The Venus de Milo (created 130-100 BC, discovered on the small Aegean island of Melos in 1820) is believed to depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. See it at the Louvre in Paris.
  7. A detail from Bayon Temple, the richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia built in the late 1100s or early 1200s, seen during a G Adventures expedition to Cambodia.
    07 A detail from Bayon Temple, the richly decorated Khmer temple at Angkor in Cambodia built in the late 1100s or early 1200s, seen during a G Adventures expedition to Cambodia. © Courtesy of G Adventures
  8. A relief of Jesus Christ and two of the apostles inside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, built in the 6th century A.D. as a Greek Orthodox church.
    08 A relief of Jesus Christ and two of the apostles inside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, built in the 6th century A.D. as a Greek Orthodox church.
  9. The Erechtheion, or Temple of Athena, built in 421-406 BC at the Acropolis in Athens.
    09 The Erechtheion, or Temple of Athena, built in 421-406 BC at the Acropolis in Athens.
  10. A piece of pottery called "Black Amphora," dating to about 550 BC, at the Acropolis Museum.
    10 A piece of pottery called "Black Amphora," dating to about 550 BC, at the Acropolis Museum.
  11. A panorama of a frieze depicting pharoahs and other ancient figures in the precinct of Amun in Karnak Temple at Luxor, Egypt.
    11 A panorama of a frieze depicting pharoahs and other ancient figures in the precinct of Amun in Karnak Temple at Luxor, Egypt.
  12. A relief in the Museum of Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France.
    12 A relief in the Museum of Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France. © Creative Commons BY
  13. Columns inside the Karnak Temple compound at Luxor, Egypt. See it as part of a cultural experience on a safe and secure river cruise.
    13 Columns inside the Karnak Temple compound at Luxor, Egypt. See it as part of a cultural experience on a safe and secure river cruise. © Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0
  14. The colorful interior of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, built in 537 A.D.
    14 The colorful interior of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, built in 537 A.D.
  15. Historians and archaeologists say the Great Dagon Pagoda was built between the 6th and 10th centuries A.D. However, legend says it was constructed more than 2,600 years ago,
    15 Historians and archaeologists say the Great Dagon Pagoda was built between the 6th and 10th centuries A.D. However, legend says it was constructed more than 2,600 years ago,
  16. A lion at the Archeological Museum in Rhodes, Greece.
    16 A lion at the Archeological Museum in Rhodes, Greece. © Creative Commons BY
  17. A church fresco dating to the 1300s AD seen in Kotor Cathedral in Kotor, Montenegro.
    17 A church fresco dating to the 1300s AD seen in Kotor Cathedral in Kotor, Montenegro.
  18. A relief of an ancient dedication at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
    18 A relief of an ancient dedication at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
  19. Built between A.D. 1113 and 1150, Angkor Wat is one of the largest religious monuments ever constructed. Its name means “temple city.”
    19 Built between A.D. 1113 and 1150, Angkor Wat is one of the largest religious monuments ever constructed. Its name means “temple city.”
  20. Edfu, Egypt, located on the west bank of the Nile. The town is known for the Temple of Horus, built from sandstone blocks between 237 BC and 57 BC, into the reign of Cleopatra VII, Wikipedia tells us.
    20 Edfu, Egypt, located on the west bank of the Nile. The town is known for the Temple of Horus, built from sandstone blocks between 237 BC and 57 BC, into the reign of Cleopatra VII, Wikipedia tells us. © Creative Commons BY-ND
  21. The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, Greece, was begun in 449 BC, just two years before the Parthenon.
    21 The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, Greece, was begun in 449 BC, just two years before the Parthenon. © Creative Commons BY
  22. Lower part of the front façade of Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, at night. On the upper part, the 28 kings of Judea and Israel.
    22 Lower part of the front façade of Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, at night. On the upper part, the 28 kings of Judea and Israel. © Creative Commons BY-SA
  23. Bust of Alexander the Great at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
    23 Bust of Alexander the Great at the Acropolis Museum in Athens.
  24. A 12th century Cambodian statue of Buddha at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
    24 A 12th century Cambodian statue of Buddha at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
  25. The Portara, or Temple of Apollo, built in 530 A.D. by the emperor Lygdamis (well, his slaves) on the island of Naxos, Greece.
    25 The Portara, or Temple of Apollo, built in 530 A.D. by the emperor Lygdamis (well, his slaves) on the island of Naxos, Greece.
  26. The oldest known secular carvings in Ireland (though undated), they stood outside of Dublin's Medieval City Hall until the late 18th century. The City Hall was demolished in 1806, and the carvings are now displayed in the Christ Church Crypt.
    26 The oldest known secular carvings in Ireland (though undated), they stood outside of Dublin's Medieval City Hall until the late 18th century. The City Hall was demolished in 1806, and the carvings are now displayed in the Christ Church Crypt. © Creative Commons BY-ND
  27. The Mayan pyramid El Castillo at Chichen Itza in the Yucatan, Mexico.
    27 The Mayan pyramid El Castillo at Chichen Itza in the Yucatan, Mexico. © Creative Commons BY-SA
  28. The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Giza, Egypt.
    28 The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Giza, Egypt. © Creative Commons BY
  29. These statues are among the Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzá, which thrived from around 600 A.D. to the 1200s.
    29 These statues are among the Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzá, which thrived from around 600 A.D. to the 1200s.

Recently I shared Great works of art you can see on a cruise, offering a visual tour of great artworks from the Renaissance to the modern period. I received much positive feedback about that visual gallery, and it was easy to search and curate, so I thought it was time to go further back in time.

Here are Great ancient works of art you can see on a cruise -- that is, as soon as cruising picks up again (soon, I suspect!). By ancient I'm stretching it a bit to include works from B.C. up to and including the Middle Ages. I tried to include artworks beyond our narrow Euro-centric prism. 

Now, there's always some dispute about what constitutes "art." Slaves who hauled blocks of stone through miles of desert weren't exactly thinking they were creating great artworks, were they?

So I'll leave it to each of you to decide whether a piece is a work of art, or an edifice that's a monument to a ruler's vanity. To me, if it's an expression of something greater than ourselves, if it makes you feel something, if it elicits an emotion, a smile, a furrowed eyebrow -- it's art.

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