Susan Woodford's book provides a brief introduction to the inner sanctum of ancient art, a world of interpretation and the search for perfect form. Ancient masters lived in an age of myths and were their creators, experimenting with various techniques and materials, challenging the ideas and themes of established mythological cycles (about the Trojan War, Heracles, the Argonauts, the heroes of Thebes, and others). With meticulous attention to detail and context, the author shows how works of art became not only objects of trade and luxury, but also a means of interpreting historical events, political declarations, and sophisticated puzzles and riddles. By unlocking the images of ancient artists, readers will discover how a world of chaos, war, and violence was reimagined, how monsters and murderers were humanized, how touching family portraits of willful centaur monsters emerged, and so on. The author's meticulous analysis of specific images will help us understand them, but it will not dispel their mystery. On the contrary, it will remind us of the need to think and overcome the mechanical, formulaic perception of all-too-familiar themes.