Black-figure pottery, used on many famous Greek vases, wasn’t invented in Athens. It originated in Corinth around 700 BC, first on small perfume bottles. Figures were painted as silhouettes, then details scratched through before firing. Athens later adopted the technique and took the fame.

For ancient Egypt, the scarab beetle is one of the most important symbols. Scarabs represent rebirth and protection, a fundamental symbol of life.

In Mesopotamian theology, Ishtar, associated with Venus, is the daughter of Sîn, the Moon god. Sîn governs lunar cycles and time, while Ishtar embodies love, war, kingship, and Venus’s changing brilliance. Together, they represent the heavens’ rhythms of recurrence, disappearance, and return.

16th-century art showing Alexander the Great in a glass diving bell to fight boredom and observe underwater sea monsters is peak historical fantasy.