Gary Poster, with essential assists from Galyn Norwood, Phiroon Phihakendr, Jose Quijada, Pavandeep Kalra.
Prisoners relate how they withstood years of solitude by reciting poems.
If not for the elegant brushstrokes depicting animals, huntsmen and herdsmen left on cave walls in France and Africa, little would be known of the habits and beliefs of those who drew them as long as 26,000 years ago. In the age of Constantinople, Salonica was a hub of commercial and artistic sophistication. This year it is Europe's City of Culture and the Mount Athos collection is the highlight of the northern city's celebrations. Among the most impressive works is a 12th-century mosaic of Madonna and Child, which demonstrates the Slavic influence on Mount Athos. Loaned by the Serbian monastery, Chelandari, it is expected to attract thousands of worshippers, mostly Serbian wo men eager to view the formerly forbidden icon.