Ancient Life

Stories about how people lived thousands of years ago, and the art they made

Featured Stories

See Persepolis as It Was 2500 Years Ago

Computer rendering of a large stone entryway of an ancient building flanked by two larger-than-life bull statues.

A new video recreates an ancient site

Army Life as an Ancient Roman Soldier

Copper alloy Roman legionary helmet

For the unprivileged, serving in the ancient Roman army was a path to wealth building, social climbing, and citizenship

Power in a Mummy Portrait

Look closely at this beautiful mummy portrait on display at the Getty Villa and you’ll find powerful signs of wealth, status, and beauty

Latest

  1. New Getty Volume Charts Evolution of Mexican Artifacts from Curiosity to Art Collector’s Dream

    Cover of book “Artifacts to Art” featuring a sepia-toned photograph with a large stone artifact and an elegantly dressed figure wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

    Explore how Pre-Hispanic Mexican antiquities became one of the most highly sought after items in midcentury LA

    Jul 6, 2026

  2. New Getty Volume Charts the Evolution of Rock Art Conservation

    Cover of book “Rock Art” featuring ancient petroglyphs carved into reddish-brown rock face under a bright blue sky, depicting human figures and geometric patterns.

    This interdisciplinary anthology highlights global research, Indigenous perspectives, and new technologies shaping conservation today

    Jul 6, 2026

  3. Getty Presents “Stendahl’s World: Marketing Ancient Mexico and Modern Art in Los Angeles”

    Sepia photo of a man with white hair behind a table filled with Mesoamerican statuettes

    Exhibition examines the commercial networks, celebrity culture and entrepreneurial strategies that shaped the market for pre-Hispanic art in 20th century Los Angeles

    Jun 23, 2026

  4. How to Merge with the Gods

    A man opens a case that holds an ancient scroll.

    Getty’s ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead” manuscripts go on view

    Apr 15, 2026

  5. Meet an Ushabti, an Ancient Egyptian Statuette Made for the Afterlife

    Golden-green statue stands with arms crossed and hieroglyphs on its body.

    What we know about this figure discovered in Neferibresaneith’s tomb

    Mar 9, 2026

  6. The Ancient Women Who Ruled Their Kingdoms

    A bracelet embedded with colorful, geometric glass pieces around a central figure with wings and wearing a large headdress.

    Long before modern conversations about gender and power, Nubia offered a unique model

    Mar 4, 2026

  7. What Is the Egyptian Book of the Dead?

    Detail from fragmentary papyrus shows markings and symbols

    Taking a deeper look at a little-known part of Getty's collections

    Mar 3, 2026

  8. Getty's Egyptian Book of the Dead Lives Again

    Ancient Egyptian papyrus featuring columns of hieroglyphics surrounding a central image of a seated pharaoh and human-animal hybrids.

    The exhibition, previously shown in 2023, features Getty's Book of the Dead manuscripts

    Feb 23, 2026

  9. Explore the Faces of Ancient Roman Egypt in Getty’s New Volume on Mummy Portraits

    Mummy Portraits of Roman Egypt, Volume 2: Emerging Research from the APPEAR Project book cover

    This open-access publication brings together global expertise and groundbreaking research to scholars and the public worldwide

    Feb 9, 2026

  10. Discover Eight Millennia of Nubian Art and Architecture

    Ancient Nubian Art: A History book cover

    Rita E. Freed’s new book redefines Nubia’s legacy—revealing its creative brilliance and cultural power beyond Egypt’s shadow

    Feb 9, 2026