Category Archives: Sculpture

The So-called Bust of Josephus

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Brent Nongbri

I recently had occasion to spend some time revisiting the works of the Jewish historian Josephus, which was a real pleasure. When working on Josephus, I occasionally come across the “bust of Josephus” that so often serves as an illustration … Continue reading →

Posted in Josephus, Judaism, Sculpture | 7 Comments

The Trojan Horse in Pakistan and Questions of Provenance

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

In the process of preparing to teach a course on ancient trade networks, I encountered a very informative chapter by Rachel Mairs in The Routledge Handbook of Archaeology and Globalization (2017), which introduced me to a fascinating artifact of which … Continue reading →

Posted in British Museum, Find Stories, Sculpture | Leave a comment

The Capitoline Sappho

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Brent Nongbri

In the wake of the controversy over the “Newest Sappho” papyrus in the last few years , I’ve read more about the Greek poetess Sappho than I ever thought I would. In doing so, I realized that I have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Capitoline Museum, Fakes and Forgeries, Inscriptions, P.Sapph. Obbink, Sculpture | 4 Comments

A Marble Relief of a Priest of Cybele

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Brent Nongbri

It’s always a pleasant surprise to visit a familiar museum and find a “new” piece. It happened to me the other day at the Capitoline Museum. Earlier this year, there was an exhibition on Johann Joachim Winckelmann (actually, it was mainly … Continue reading →

Posted in Capitoline Museum, Find Stories, Sculpture | 4 Comments