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

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