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

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