Compiled by the father of modern art history, this landmark 1767 publication boasts more than 200 outstanding engravings of ancient monuments. Johann Joachim Winckelmann, an eighteenth-century scholar who devoted his life to the study of ancient art, was the first to outline the distinctions between works of Egyptian, Etruscan, Roman, and Greek origin. Drawing upon his encyclopedic knowledge of ancient literature, Winckelmann explained the origins and significance of each of these previously unknown and unpublished images from historic buildings and monuments.

These finely engraved illustrations of figures from ancient religion and mythology offer a compelling study, particularly in the light of the details imparted by the German scholar’s commentary. In addition to reproductions of all the images from the original volume, this edition includes newly translated text and captions and an Introduction that relates fascinating details concerning the author's life. This is the first English-language version of Winckelmann's classic, presenting not only a panorama of captivating sights from classical civilizations but also a major contribution to the literature of art history.