A Roman cavalry parade helmet was discovered in 1796 by a boy playing on the site of a Roman fortress in England. This engraving (above) was commissioned by the Society of Antiquaries, London, in 1799.

This print (above) depicts the removal of Ancient Greek vases from tombs as tourists look on.

Prints of classical architecture were popular with educated Europeans throughout the 18th century and into the 19th. A Blaeu-Mortier print (above) of the Coliseum, printed in 1704-05.

Giovanni Battista Piranesi was one of the leading figures in the development of the neoclassical style in the 18th century. As architect, artist, designer, collector, and antiquities dealer, he and his son produced a series of etchings and engravings (above) depicting the glories of ancient Rome.

Greek painting survives mainly in painted vases, which recorded scenes of daily life, as well as stories from Greek mythology and history. Prominent collector Sir William Hamilton published extensive collections of prints reproducing the paintings on such vases (above).

Stuart and Revett's highly influential architectural book, The Antiquities of Athens (1762) (above left), was the first accurate survey of ancient Athenian architecture, anticipating the Grecian Revival style in England in the early 19th C. At right is a plate of the Tower of the Winds, which they excavated and recorded in the book.

In the pre-photographic era, engravings of Greek and Roman statuary were created for documentation and study (above right).

The education of Achilles by a Centaur

Hippocrates is shown refusing gifts brought by Alexander the Great.

Venus Presenting Helen To Paris

The Greek Muses.

After Farinati, a scene from the tale of Phaeton, son of Helios

The mythic Greek maritime heroes Jason and the Argonauts remained popular symbols of navigation centuries later. The first geographic society, founded by 17th-century geographer Vincenzo Coronelli, was named for the "Argonauti." In 1695 he illustrated a scene from Jason's tale (left). The British Royal Navy has had four battleships named the HMS Argonaut between 1798 and 1993. The ship's badge from the third Argonaut, launched in 1941, is show at right.

Giulio Romano used the popular Renaissance motif of the conquering Cupid in a fresco panel, reproduced in this early 19th C. print.

This 19th C. manuscript illustrates the zodiac signs, which are based on Greek mythology.

All Olympus in a Hubbub by Renaissance master Raphael.