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| Thomas Geminus after Andreas Vesalius Anatomical Study of Skeleton 1545 engraving (book illustration) Herzog August Bibliothek, Wulfenbüttel |
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| Nancy Sutor Skeleton 1983 hand-colored cyanotype Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas |
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| Heinrich Aldegrever Adam toiling with Death 1541 engraving Graphische Sammlung, ETH Zürich |
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| Albrecht Dürer Death and Landsknecht 1510 woodcut Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna |
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| Cecil van Haanen Death and the Artist before 1914 drawing Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna |
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| Ludwig Krug Death approaching Two Women before 1532 engraving Graphische Sammlung, ETH Zürich |
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| Philipp Sadeler Death felling a Tree ca. 1630 engraving (book illustration) Herzog August Bibliothek, Wulfenbüttel |
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| Michael Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff Dance of Death 1493 woodcut (illustration from the Nuremberg Chronicle) Herzog August Bibliothek, Wulfenbüttel |
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| Anonymous German Artist Ex Libris - Johann Müller ca. 1600-1650 etching Herzog August Bibliothek, Wulfenbüttel |
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| Anonymous German Artist Skull ca. 1575 engraving Herzog August Bibliothek, Wulfenbüttel |
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| Philippe de Champaigne Still Life with Skull 1671 oil on panel Musée de Tessé, Le Mans |
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| Wilhelm Leibl Skull with Shroud 1868 oil on paper Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe |
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| Théodule Ribot Skull of Sheep ca. 1880 oil on canvas Musée de l'Oise |
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| Israel van Meckenem Three Skulls ca. 1485 engraving Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna |
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| Johann Striedbeck the Younger Anatomical Studies of the Skull ca. 1690 etching Herzog August Bibliothek, Wulfenbüttel |
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| Hans Thoma Self Portrait with Love and Death 1875 oil on canvas Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe |
Queen: But tell me how the naval battle began. Who started the fight? Was it the Greeks, or was it my son, proudly confident in the superior number of his fleet?
Messenger: The start of all our sorrows, mistress, was the appearance from somewhere of an avenging demon or an evil spirit. A Greek man came from the Athenian fleet* and told your son Xerxes that when the gloom of black night should come on, the Greeks would not stay where they were, but would leap on to the benches of their ships and seek to save their lives by taking to flight in all directions under cover of the darkness. As soon as he heard this, not understanding the deceit of the Greek or the jealousy of the gods, he proclaimed the following order to all his admirals. When the sun ceased to burn the earth with its rays, and darkness took hold of the celestial regions, they were to arrange the mass of their ships in three lines and guard the exits and the surging straits, while stationing others so as to surround the island of Ajax completely; because if the Greeks should escape grim death by finding some means of escaping unnoticed with their ships, it was decreed that all the admirals were to lose their heads. So much he said, speaking from a very cheerful heart, because he did not understand what the gods were about to do; and they, obediently and in good order, prepared their supper, and each crew member fastened his oar by its loop to a thole-pin well designed for good rowing. When the light of the sun disappeared and night came on, every master of the oar and every man-at-arms went on board his ship; one rank encouraged another all along each vessel, and they sailed as each captain had been directed. All through the night, the masters of the fleet kept the whole naval host sailing to and fro. The night wore on, but the Greek force did not attempt a clandestine break-out in any direction at all. Instead, when Day with her white horses spread her brilliant light over all the earth, first of all there rang out loudly a joyful sound of song from the Greeks, and simultaneously the echo of it resounded back from the cliffs of the island. All we Easterners were terrified, because we had been deceived in our expectation: the Greeks were now raising the holy paean-song, not with a view to taking flight, but in the act of moving out to battle, with cheerful confidence, and the call of the trumpet was setting the whole place ablaze.
– Aeschylus, from Persians (472 BC), translated by Alan H. Sommerstein (2008)
*this was the slave Sicinnus, bringing a message from his master Themistocles
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