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

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