Picturing the Past

Imaging and Imagining the Ancient Middle East

edited by Jack Green, Emily Teeter and John A. Larson

Book cover: Picturing the Past

Extent: 184 pages

Publisher: Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures

Subjects: Ancient Near East, Art & Art History, World Archaeology

Series: Oriental Institute Museum Publications

Series volume number: 34

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(December 2012)

ISBN: 9781885923899

Price: $9.95

In stock

Fully illustrated catalogue of essays, descriptions, and commentary accompanies the 2012 Oriental Institute special exhibit Picturing the Past: Imaging and Imagining the Ancient Middle East . Presents paintings, architectural reconstructions, models, photographs, and reconstructions showing how the ancient Middle East has been documented.


This fully illustrated catalogue of essays, descriptions, and commentary accompanies the Oriental Institute special exhibit Picturing the Past: Imaging and Imagining the Ancient Middle East (on exhibit February 7 through September 2, 2012). Picturing the Past presents paintings, architectural reconstructions, facsimiles, models, photographs, and computer-aided reconstructions that show how the architecture, sites, and artifacts of the ancient Middle East have been documented. It also examines how the publication of those images have shaped our perception of the ancient world, and how some of the more “imaginary” reconstructions have obscured our real understanding of the past. The exhibit and catalog also show how features of the ancient Middle East have been presented in different ways for different audiences, in some cases transforming a highly academic image into a widely recognized icon of the past.

  • Edited by Jack Green
  • Edited by John A. Larson
  • Edited by Emily Teeter