Paris, Louvre

Q19675

It is hard to write a review of the Louvre in Paris, because it is one of the world’s largest museums. There are many departments, and each one of them might, in its field, have been a museum of the first order. For example, it is hard to find another Egyptological museum in Europe that equals the Louvre.

The museum also has a reputation for interesting expositions – one on Meroe and one on the archaeology of Saudi Arabia during my latest visit – and to be honest: one ought to visit the Louvre twice a year to keep in touch. The people of Paris are unusually blessed.

If you visit the museum for the first time, you will be surprised by the pyramid-shaped entrance. Use the time you lose to pass the bomb check and buy a ticket to look at it, because it is a monument of the first order.

I already mentioned the Egyptian department, where you can easily spend a full day. There are portraits of the Egyptian kings and objects from daily life, and what is even better: the full history is dealth with, so you will also find objects from the first millennium BCE. The Greek, Roman, and Coptic age are not ignored either, although you need to go to Greek department for the royal portraits of the Ptolemies.

The Egyptian department is deservedly famous, and attracts many visitors, who are usually exhausted when they are half-way their tour. Usually, they will take the shortest route to the exit, which brings them through the departments of Cypriote, Arab, Palmyrene, and Phoenician art – which are, as a consequence, full of people who are not interested in the objects. That is a pity, because these rooms alone justify a trip to Paris. Still, if you manage to ignore the crowd of tired visitors to the Egyptian department, you will certainly enjoy coffins from Sidon, Byblos, and Carthage, Nabataean inscriptions, and statues from Cyprus. One of my favorites is a relief of one of the divine triad of Palmyra. You will need half a day to study it well.

Next to it is the Oriental department. The most famous object is, of course, the Code of Hammurabi. Don’t concentrate on the diorite monolith only, but also look in the small display in the same room, because there you will see cuneiform tablets with the same text – one of them written more than a millennium later and proving that these laws had become some kind of Mesopotamian classic, and it is probably no coincidence that the division of these Old Babylonian laws returns in the Ten Commandments.

The Code of Hammurabi was found in Susa, which is a prominent part of the oriental collection. You will also see a wall decorated with Achaemenid soldiers and cuneiform tablets from this Iranian town. Other important excavations are Mari and Khorsabad, but there is a lot more to see. There are also rooms devoted to Jordan and western Syria; they are not adjacent to the eastern Syria and the other Levantine rooms, which is a bit impractical – but the Mesha stela is worth the detour. You need a full day to study the entire oriental department.

The Roman department is surprisingly small. Yet, there is a lot of fine sculpture, including a nice series of portraits of Roman rulers. Next to it is a comparatively small Etruscan department. A gallery of rather mediocre statues brings you to the room devoted to Roman art that was later restored, which is great fun: usually, you can immediately see which part is ancient and which is an addition. (Here, you will also find Canova’s famous Amor and Psyche.) You need about half a day to see it all, read the explanatory signs, and take your photos.

The Greek department is larger – you again need a full day to study it all. The two most famous pieces are the expressive Nike of Samothrake and the famous Venus of Milo. The latter is more or less the museum’s raison d’être. Napoleon had looted the Italian museums, but after he had found his Waterloo, all those works of art had to be returned. In an age in which it was believed that inspiration by great art created great minds, and that Greek art was the most inspirational, the emptying of the Louvre was believed to be a national disaster, but fortunately, the Venus of Milo was found. Now, France could compete again with the British, who had the Elgin Marbles. That the armless deity was a Hellenistic and not a Classical statue, was ignored – the inscription which proves it, is now conveniently lost.

The Greek department also has some fine temple remains (from a/o Assos), the Tanagra statuettes that I increasingly love, and lots of pottery. Unfortunately, the rooms with Greek ceramics have recently been closed. I haven’t seen the Croesus to the left for quite some time: last time, the room was closed to install better protection; before that, it was on loan to another museum.

The crowds are very large, and you may count yourself lucky that I did not bring you to the paintings. This makes a visit to the Louvre a bit difficult, and you must prepare yourself well; fortunately, the museum’s website is excellent. Four days is the minimum for the ancient departments.

Finally, I must mention one little gem that is often ignored and where you can, consequently, quietly look at the objects: the room with metal objects. There is some fine silver work, but you will also see the helmet of a gladiator, a nice statuette of the Tyche of Antioch, the head of Demetrius Poliorcetes, a hoplite’s panoply, a curse tablet from the Crimea, Roman military diplomas, and so on.

But unfortunately, that’s the only part of the museum where you will not meet many other people. In fact, the museum is too big, and I think that it would be wiser to split it into smaller museums.

This museum was visited in 1984, 1989, 2008, 2010, 2020.

301 pictures related to this museum

Cleopatra II or III as Isis	Choga Zanbil, Model	Lambaesis, Rules for the trumpetters of III Augusta	Amulet of Darius
Upper part of the Codex of Hammurabi; taken from Babylon to Susa, it was excavated in what is now Iran.	Cleopatra VII Philopator in Egyptian style	Uruk, Cuneiform tablet with first use of a zero	Eshnunna, Relief of Ištar
Crassus	Drawing of Amenhotep I	Thelsae, Nabataean altar	Arsinoe II
Khorsabad, Lion-taming spirit ("Gilgameš")	Susa, Funerary portrait	Ugarit, Alphabet tablet	Athens, Black-figured dish with a Scythian archer
Susa, Soldiers' Relief with inscription	Alexandria Troas, Psyche on a dromedary	Sardes, Temple of Artemis, Relief of the "Mistress of the animals". (The archer partly visible to the right must be Heracles.)	Nimrud, Northwest Palace of Aššurnasirpal II, Foundation Inscription
Nimrud, Relief of an Anatolian fort	Susa, Temple of the Šutrukids, Relief	Nectanebo I, wearing the crown of Upper Egypt	Cherchell, Inscription of Micipsa
Tepe Sialk, Pot from the fourth millennium BCE, decorated with an ibex	Susa, Soldiers' Relief, Lion	Coptic jar with decoration of a woman with wild animals	Utica, Oil lamp with a lion and a panther
Antiochus VI Dionysus	The Azara herm	Tayma, Aramaic funerary inscription	Oea, Punic sphinx
Enkomi, Late Bronze pectoral with sphinxes	Khorsabad, Relief of Sargon and Sennacherib, prince Sennacherib	Senusret III	Sippar, Cylinder with a building inscription from the reign of Hammurabi
Bishapur, Palace, Mosaic of a Dionysiac head	Livia (Paris)	Marib, Dedication to Almaqah	Antinoopolis, Coptic textile, Praying man with candelaber and ankh
Megara, Figurine of two hoplites	Susa, Apadana, Inscription DSf (Elamite)	Socrates	Shabaqo
Achaemenid jar with representation of Bes	Bishapur, Palace, Stucco apse	The Azara herm	Caere, Sarcophagus of the Spouses
Susa, Soldiers' Relief	Old Paphos, Epitaph of King Echetimus	Susa, Rim of a cup with the name of Xerxes	Taharqo venerating the falcon-god Hemen
Susa, Soldiers' Relief	Khorsabad, Relief of Sargon and Sennacherib, king Sargon	Senusret III	Julia Domna
Khorsabad, Relief of rafts on a great river	Mask of a Sumerian	Statuette of Raherka, inspector of the scribes, and his wife Merseanch	Didia Clara
Messalina	Fragment of the sarcophagus of Sety II	Susa, Sasanian cup	Susa, Soldiers' Relief, Lion
Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus	Statues of Sekhmet	Fayyum, Coptic chalice	Hermopolis, Portrait of a Cleopatra I, Cleopatra II, or Berenice III
Ptolemy X Alexander	Apries	Baalbek, Mosaic of the Birth of Paris	Marib, Dedication to Almaqah, detail
Nineveh, Palace of Aššurbanipal, Sumerian-Akkadian Dictionary	Amasis	Susa, Apadana, Inscription DSf (Babylonian)	An Egyptian poem about the battle of Kadesh
Ajax and Cassandra.	Heraclius and Khusrau	Lagash, Vulture Stele, Sumerian phalanx	Hadrumetum, Sanctuary of Baal Hammon, Punic stela with three baetyls
Susa, Soldiers' Relief	Greek plate with a picture of the Chimaera. Louvre, Paris (France)	Susa, Soldiers' Relief	Ptolemy IV Philopator
Bishapur, Palace, Mosaic of a musician	Ugarit, Temple of Baal, Stele with the king of Ugarit in front of the god Baal Saphon	Idalion, orientalizing gold dish	Yemen, Dromedary pendant
Olympia, Temple of Zeus, Model	Smyrna, Attalus II Philadelphus	Moabite warrior god	Portrait of a Roman man (CE 070-100)
Tombstone of Iglum, son of Sa'adillat	Figurine from Bactria	Tayma, Dedication to Salm	Faustina II
Alexander IV	Egypt, Byzantine textile, Erotes picking grapes	Susa, Soldiers' Relief	Demetrius I Poliorcetes
Bawit, Icon of Christ and St.Menas	Susa, Statue of queen Napirasu, wife of Untaš-Napiriša	Montuhotep II wearing the red deshret crown	Tyre, Hellenistic building inscription from Al-Ma'shook
Soknopaiou Nesos, Stele of Isis, Horus, and Cleopatra VII Philopator	Susa, Apadana, Inscription DSf (Old Persian)	Nicomedia, Hellenistic Funerary relief	Artemis and Apollo killing the Niobids
Palmyra, Tombstone of a priest	Arsinoe III	Tayma, Taymanite inscription	Susa, Soldiers' Relief
Aššur, Annals of Tikulti-Ninurta II	Eretria, Two-headed phial	Aegis of Osorkon IV	Mithridates V Euergetes
Smyrna, Diadumenianus	Vase painting of an archaic Greek galley	Bowl from Tepe Hesar I	The Azara herm
Caere, Banditaccia necropolis, Wall painting of an archer	Ptolemy III Euergetes	Sallustia Orbiana	Furnos Minus, Christian funerary mosaic
Byblos, Temple of Baalat, Figurine of a bull	Rhodes, Head-shaped aryballos	Sobekhotep IV	Geta
Fausta	Alexandria, Tombstone of Longinus of II Traiana	Statuette of a Libyan	Ptolemy I Soter
Giza, Diner of Nefer	Ladjvard, Sasanian king, perhaps Peroz	Corinth, Small painting of Poseidon	Susa, Stela of Šutruru
Seleucus I Nicator	Tepe Sialk, Sherd from the fourth millennium BCE	Susa, Temple of the Šutrukids, Relief: the bull-man	Bottle from Tepe Hesar level II
Alexander I Balas	Osorkon I	Alexandria, Alexander the Great as City Founder	Girsu, Tablet with a fragment of the Sumerian Creation Epic
Keki, the courtier	Susa, Hellenistic or Parthian figurine of a harpist	Kition, Egyptianizing capital	Susa, Weight from Didyma
Pharsalus, Funerary stela with a relief of a flower offering	Saba, the Arab warrior Mushayqat Hamayat ibn Yusuf on a dromedary	Susa, Soldiers' Relief	Portrait of a man, third quarter of the first century CE (the so-called "Vitellius")
Saqqara, Serapeum, Relief of Isis and Nectanebo II	Annius Verus	Antonia Minor	Tayma, Nabataean votive stela
Lascuta, Imperator inscription	Byblos, Temple of Baalat, Figurines	Bawit, Coptic church, Model	Matidia
Ugarit, Stele of the "smiting god"	Antiochus III the Great	Agrippa Postumus	Pyla, Temple of Apollo, Portrait of a man
Sippar, Victory stela of Naram-Sin	Demetrius Poliorcetes	Informal portrait of Sobekhotep IV	Bawit, Portrait of a lady
King Djedefra	Ptolemy XI Alexander, gold sealing ring	Gladiator helmet	Sobekhotep IV
The Azara herm	Charlemagne	Sippar, Contract from the reign of Xerxes about a canal	Pompey the Great. Louvre, Paris (France)
Khorsabad, Relief of two courtiers	Ostracon with a Coptic Writing Exercise (Thebaid)	Assos, Temple of Athena, relief, Triton	Khorsabad, Lamassu
Valerian Jr	Wadi Miyah, Palmyrene triad: Aglibol (Moon), Ba'al Šamem (Lord of Heaven), and Malekbel (Sun)	Nefertiti and Akhenaten	Relief of a Roman officer
Assos, Temple of Athena, Relief of a symposium	Ur, Foundation statuette of Amar-Sin	Relief of a scribe	Choga Zanbil, Ziggurat, Doorknobs (Paris)
Statuette of a hippopotamus	Drawing of Ramesses VII	Theodosius II	Salonina
Antioch, Judgment of Paris	Dedication by Ilîmagud Mayfa	Susa, Apadana, Capital	Utica, Oil lamp with a lion and a crocodile
Psammetichus I	Corinth, Hoplite battle (Tydeus painter)	Ramesses IV	Khorsabad, Iron tool
Sarcophagus with the body of Hector	Herodes Atticus	Nectanebo I wearing the war crown	Susa, Stone fish
Yemen, Relief of a bird eating grapes	Susa, Relief with the sacrifice of goat	Khorsabad, Foundation Tablet	Susa, Soldiers' Relief, Immortal, Counterweight of a spear
Dibon, Mesha Stela	Yemen, Woman's head	Kition, Figurine of a woman	Cartouche of Osorkon I
Susa, Soldiers' Relief, Flowers	The Azara herm	Leo I	Statuette of Bes, dedicated by Pakher, chancellor of king Psamtek I
Utica, Funeral stela	Bosra, Nabataean altar	Susa, Soldiers' Relief	Susa, Temple of the Šutrukids, Inscription
Tayma, Relief of a sacrifical meal; Assyrian influence	Julia Mamaea	Cyprus, Bilingual Greek-Phoenician inscription	Chalouf, Darius' DZb inscription
Pittacus	Idalion, statue of Melqart	Alexander, Statuette from Lower Egypt	Madaba, Funeral inscription of Itaybel
Susa, Gold plate with royal warrior	Pupienus	Susa, Letter from Artabanus II, requesting the appointment of one Hecataeus as treasurer	Hadrumetum, Sanctuary of Baal Hammon, Punic stela
Head of Croesus on a Greek vase	Rhagae, Dancers on a piece of pottery	Domitian	Athens, Heliaia, Allotment plate
Apollonia, Relief of two hoplites	Agrippa	Susa, Stela of Adda-hamiti-Inšušinak	King of the Eleventh/Twelfth Dynasty
Suovetaurilia	Susa, Soldiers' Relief, Sphinxes	Susa, Temple of the Šutrukids, Goddess	Susa, Soldiers' Relief, Mythological creatures
Beirut, Tombstone of Valerius Rufus of VII Claudia	Susa, Soldiers' Relief with inscription DSm	Babylonian map of the western Zagros. A road, a mountain, and a river are indicated.	Corbulo
Merenptah	Assos, Temple of Athena, Relief of two bulls	Susa, Battle axe	Rome, S. Pietro, Sarcophagus with Christ as Lawgiver
Beirut, Christian phylacterium, invoking the protection of several celestial beings to protect one Alexandra	Susa, Silver rhyton	Susa, Dedication to Inšušinak	Susa, Stone relief with a banquet scene
Antinoopolis, Coptic textile, Nilotic scene (including nilometer)	Apollonia, Relief to commemorate the battle of Actium	Rhodes, Dish with a sphinx	Byblos, Relief of a lion
Timna, Dedication by Rathad'il	Achmim, Funerary stela of Pamim	Smyrna, Honorific decree for an officer of VI Ferrata	Titus
Figurine of an Etruscan warrior	Susa, Middle-Elamite model of a sun ritual	Susa, Temple of the Šutrukids, Relief	Boy with hoop and rooster
Cyrene, Statue of Antinous	Justinian I (Barberini Ivory)	The Tyche of Antioch (figurine)	POWs being led away on an Akkadian victory stele
Rhodes, Mycenaean cup (LH IIIa2)	Rhodes, Mycenaean jar with a bull (LH IIIa2)	Bishapur, Palace, Mosaic of man dressed as an ostrich	Esarhaddon and his mother attend the restoration of Babylon
Susa, Achaemenid administrative document	Ptolemy II Philadelphus	Cirta, Sanctuary of El-Hofra, Votive stela	Persian nobleman; statue from Egypt
Khorsabad, Relief of Sargon and Sennacherib	Berenice II	The Albani Alexander	Susa, Inscription of Nicocles
Gortyn, Inscription with laws	Susa, The Awan King List	Nineveh, Palace of Aššurbanipal, Relief of Arbela	Thyatira, Relief of a gladiator (thraex)
Sphinx of king Siamun	Aelius Caesar	Edessa, Mosaic of a lady	Coptic tunic
Susa, Middle-Elamite basrelief of warrior gods	Susa, Soldiers' Relief	Horus, Osiris, Isis	Ptolemy XII Auletes
Delos, Portrait of Alexander the Great	Susa, Neo-Elamite decoration (dragon)	Susa, Treaty between Naram-Sin and Elam	Ptolemy IV Philopator or Ptolemy VI Philometor
Byzantine, Dromedary-shaped lamp