Classical Gallery

Celestial mechanics, medieval artwork

Celestial mechanics. Coloured historical artwork depicting a medieval pilgrim looking out from the sky (blue) to see the mechanics of the heavens (upper left). Cogs (yellow) can be seen in the left corner, with tracks that the Sun, moon and stars move along. This is an example of the classical geocentric (Ptolemaic) worldview that dates back to Ancient Greek times. It was replaced by the heliocentric (Copernican) model, proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus in 1543. This woodcut is from The Atmosphere by Camille Flammarion, published in 1873.

© DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Roman statue of Asclepius

Roman statue of Asclepius. The cult of the deity of Greek medicine, known as Asclepius, dates from the 6th century BC. Asclepius is represented in statues holding a staff around which a serpent twines, a symbol which survives today as a medical emblem. He was taught surgery and the use of drugs by Chiron the centaur. Asclepius was slain by a thunderbolt from Zeus because of complaints the ministrations of Asclepius were reducing the population of Hades (the underworld for the dead). This statue is displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Naples, Italy.

© SHEILA TERRY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Wellington Arch with Duke of Wellington statue DD97_00320

DUKE OF WELLINGTON STATUE, Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner, London. A view of the Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner, built by Decimus Burton in 1828. The statue was built by Matthew Cotes Wyatt between 1840 and 1843 and weighed 40 tons. The statue was moved to Aldershot when the Arch was moved to Constitution Hill in 1882 (and renamed Constitution Arch). Photographed by York and Son. Date range: 1870-1882.

© Historic England