As we commemorate International Museum Day on May 18th, we may reflect on the derivation of the word museum from the Greek mouseion, a sanctuary of the Muses. The most famous Mouseion of Antiquity was that at Alexandria in Egypt, home to the great Library of Alexandria, and to many scholars in all fields from science to literary criticism. The nine Muses, daughters of Apollo, each represent a different literary, musical, or scientific pursuit. A Roman sarcophagus of the third century A.D. (10.104) presents our only complete depiction of an obscure myth, the contest of the Muses and the Sirens. The Sirens, part woman and part bird, are best known from Homer's “Odyssey,” where they lure men to their deaths with the promise of their beautiful song. Here, the contest is presided over by Minerva, Jupiter, and Juno (the Capitoline Triad) at the left. In the center, Euterpe, patroness of music, calmly holds the double pipes as a Siren wildly plays the same instrument. Calliope, Muse of epic poetry, holds a scroll, while Erato, Muse of lyric poetry, and her opponent both play the lyre. Other Muses appear in the background. At the right, the contest is over, and the Muses, no longer gentle, pluck out the Sirens' hair and wings, and one wields a whip. Each of the Muses wears a pair of feathers in her hair, a trophy of her victory.⁣ ⁣ #GreekRoman #TheMet #Mouseion #MusesVersusSirens #Sarcophagus #RomanArt #InternationalMuseumDay2022⁣ #IMD