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Religion

Small figure carved in jade
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Maya Deity-Face Jade Pendant, 7th-8th century

This small carved jade ornament, about 2 inches square, was most likely the central ornament on the paper headband of a Maya ruler.

Cup inscribed with a figure holding a ceremonial ax in one hand.
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Maya Vase with Mythological Scene, 7th-8th century

This drinking cup shows the aging Rain God Chank with a ceremonial ax in one hand and the other on a building that has split open.

Broken fragment of stone monument with glyphs carved into it.
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Maya Monument with glyphs, 4th-9th centuries

This stone monument carved with glyphs comes from Tortuguero, a Maya archeological site in southernmost Tabasco, Mexico that has been badly damaged by development. The monument is in a museum in Tabasco, and the smaller fragment is in the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

Photo shows strips of red cloth hanging from a cave ceiling
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Mijikenda textiles

Words are historical ar

Photo shows strips of red cloth hanging from a cave ceiling
Teaching

Short Teaching Module: Precolonial Kenya, a Small-Scale History

World historians like to focus on large-scale interactions between d

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The Miracles of Sainte Foy, Bernard of Angers, c. 1013–1020

In 1013, Bernard of Angers visited the relics of Sainte Foy at the abbey of Conques, in southern France. Initially skeptical of the cult which had formed around this little girl martyr, Bernard nonetheless fell under her spell.

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Theophilus, On Diverse Arts (De diversis artibus), c. 1120

Theophilus’ De diversis artibus is the only complete treatise on art to survive from the High Middle Ages.

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Bernard of Clairvaux, Apology (Apologia), 1125

Bernard of Clairvaux was abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Clairvaux, in Burgundy, France, and a well-known preacher who travelled widely and was involved with many of the most pressing issues of his day, from papal power to the Crusades.

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Abbot Suger, On What Was Done In His Administration (De administratione), 1144–1148

In the later 1140s, Abbot Suger of the Royal Abbey of Saint Denis, outside Paris, wrote an account of his extensive project to rebuild and redecorate his abbey church.

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“Aparición de San Isidoro al Rey Fernando el Santo ante los muros de Sevilla” by Francisco de Goya

This religious painting belongs to the extensive works of Spanish painter Francsico de Goya (1746–1828). Although he grew up in Zaragoza, he trained as an artist in Madrid. There he completed much of his works, even becoming the official portrait painter for the monarchy.